Page 218 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 19 - 22

The Commissioner: Is that all. Mr. Edwards: That is all on that point, my Lord. The Commissioner: But it is not enough for you. This does not say that if he thinks a ship is unseaworthy he is to grant a certificate. Mr. Edwards: I am afraid that your Lordship did not quite catch the whole of the question. I spoke of seaworthiness in relation to the bulkhead. The Commissioner: Is there anything here which says if he thinks the ship is unseaworthy with four bulkheads, he must nevertheless grant a certificate? Mr. Edwards: No, my Lord. If my question suggested that, I at once desire to say that I did not intend that. The Commissioner: I think you were suggesting that there was some obligation upon him to grant a certificate if there were four bulkheads. Mr. Edwards: No, my Lord - that if there were only four bulkheads, and the ship in his opinion was seaworthy, that then he could grant his declaration without reference back to the Board of Trade. The Commissioner: Oh, yes; possibly he can, but then the important thing is, of course, is the ship seaworthy? Mr. Edwards: In his opinion? The Commissioner: In his opinion - you must have it in the opinion of somebody, you know. Mr. Edwards: Quite, my Lord. But, if your Lordship will notice, according to him, in the case of four bulkheads the Surveyor may himself exercise a personal judgment. In other cases he has to refer back to the Board of Trade. The Commissioner: They think, I suppose, perhaps with good reason or bad reason, that they can rely upon their Surveyors to exercise a wise judgment. Mr. Edwards: That I have no doubt about. The Commissioner: This Rule does not appear to me to bear out the suggestion that I understood you to make; that is all I mean. Mr. Edwards: My Lord, if I by any slack use of language conveyed the impression to your Lordship’s mind - The Commissioner: Mr. Scanlan had this Rule in his head, I suppose, but when I pressed him about it he put his helm hard a’starboard and shunted away from it. Mr. Scanlan: May I say, my Lord, that Sir Walter said he was bringing forward a Witness who would answer that point. Mr. Edwards: In the meantime, I had not got the exact point. (Adjourned to tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.)