Page 195 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 19 - 22

That is the trouble. There is no controversy about that matter at all. But it is long - The Commissioner: I do not want to have a long document put before me on a point of this kind. I should be satisfied if you could tell me whether the German requirements if applied to the “Titanic” would have provided a larger lifeboat accommodation than was provided on the “Titanic.” The Attorney-General: Yes, undoubtedly. I have told your Lordship that. The Commissioner: Yes, you have said that. The Attorney-General: If you are satisfied with that, of course it is very short. The Commissioner: I am not sure that I need anything more, because I should probably come to the conclusion that if on the German boats a larger accommodation is provided, it is practicable to do it, that is to say, that it does not make the boat tender, it does not unduly encumber the deck, and that the accommodation is an advantage and not a disadvantage. Sir Robert Finlay: I think the figures with regard to these two boats, the “President Lincoln” and the “President Grant,” were handed in whilst Mr. Wilding was in the box. I think the result arrived at is that the German requirements would have been slightly in excess of what was on board the “Titanic.” The Attorney-General: I do not agree with that at all. The Commissioner: I daresay you can give it to me in percentage. Mr. Maurice Hill: I worked them out the other day, but I cannot find my note. My recollection is that one of the “President” ships had boat accommodation equivalent to 36 percent of the total passengers that could be carried, the other 38 percent, and the “Titanic” had 33 percent. I will work it out again. The Commissioner: 33, 36, and 38. Mr. Maurice Hill: That is my recollection. The Commissioner: The two larger ones being the Germans? Mr. Maurice Hill: Yes. The Attorney-General: There is one important factor with regard to this. We may be dealing with two different things. As I understand it, my friends are dealing with facts. I was not. It is important we should get it clear, because I think there is a distinction. I was calling your Lordship’s attention to what the requirements are, not the number in fact carried, but what the requirements are according to the German scale. They may not be the same thing. Sir Robert Finlay: That is what we were dealing with. Mr. Maurice Hill: The figures I dealt with were the figures given the other day, which I think were the total number for which boat accommodation was required on board German ships compared with the total number of passengers and crew which could be carried on those German ships. The Attorney-General: But that is a different thing from what you said. If that is what you mean, then I know where we are. But in answer to my question it was said that that was the number which was in fact carried. At any rate, so long as we know where we are, that is all right. We only want to be quite clear. I wanted to give your Lordship the requirements according to the German law. I think it is a matter that wants looking into, because the figures worked out by my friends do not agree with my view at all of the German requirements. The Commissioner: That is why I suggested you should compare your statement with that of Sir Robert Finlay. Sir Robert Finlay: I am certain what my friend has in his statement will be accurate. It has been carefully prepared officially. It may require possibly supplementing; but I do suggest that it would be very unedifying to have read out this very long document. The Attorney-General: Nobody is suggesting that it should be read out. We are not upon that at all. What I am upon now is this - I have agreed entirely with what you said with regard to that -