The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-17 00:00:00

CHALV CABLES AND ANCHORS BILL.

Mr. LAIRD moved the 'wood reading of this bin, the
main feature of which was to empower private murder.
amn and municipal bodies to erect treating machines for
anchors and cables, and thus to make manufacturers respos.
sib's for their own work. The cost of one of them machines
would not he more than 301. Lloyd's committee and the L.
•
don Shipowners'Association, and all the great shipowners, as
well as the anchor and cable manufacturers throughout the
country, had given their approval of this measure. During
the last year ninety-three vessels had been lost through
parting their cables, and the well known wreck of the Royal
Charter was attributable to the same cause. With those
facts so patent he trusted that the house would pass ibis
measaza

Sir J. ELPHINSTONE supported the bill. The iscreese
of wrecks had, he said, during the past year bus 40 per
mat., the lives of MAXI valuable sailors had bees leo.
pardised, and 1,000 hadlost their lives inconsequence of the no.
fections of our ground tackle. A flestof ships was recectiv
blown from the coast of Northumberland to the cow of
Holland, and all were there lost except one ship, whose
cables and anchors held for 17 days, until the gale male.
rated. 329,245 toes of shipping had been lest in 1442
including a loss et upwards of three millions of money, and
upwards 900 lives, and this mainly through the inaperfec•
tions of gear and tackle. Surely then it was time for that
house to interfere, and in its wisdom see fit to pass the
second reading of this bill.
• - •

Mr. HUTTadmitted that there was an anxious desire on
tha part of the public, the shipowners, and be believed also
of a majority of the members of the house, to provide a
remedy foe the evils which had been stated be the
boa gentlemen who moved and seconded the motion.
The object was to provide some adequate means
for saving property at sea. and the lives of a
class of men who were peculiarly deserving of tip,
can and consideration of the house. (Hear, bear.) He
should not therefore oppose the motion feeiheseeend reed'
ing, but at the same time he must express Ms strong doubts
whether the provisions of the bill would secure the object
intended.

Mr. Alderman ROSE supported the motion, and remarked
that 80 pee mot of the chains and cables manufactured were
under the proof required.
Mr. LINDSAY admitted that it was desirable to have
chaise end cables properly tested, bat the difficulty was bow
they were so attain the tied proposed. The large ship.
owning firms carried out now what the bill proposed to
do, and he doubted whether if this bill had bele in full
operation any of the wrecks mentioned by his honourable
friend would have been prevented. The system of licenses
proposed by the bill would bare the effect of throwing the
manufacture of chains and anchors into the bands of the
large manufacturers of Staffordshire and Wales. He would
not oppose the second reading, and should smut in
making the bill as perfect as possible in committee, but
be could not help thinking that it proceeded on a false
principle, for it would remove responsibility from the
shoulders of the shipowners, while it would interfere with
the freedom of trade.
Mr. CAVE supported the principle of the bill, but ad-
mitted these were difficulties in the way of carrying it out.
Mr. BENTINCK thought the house was not only bound
to pees the measure, but to pees it in its most stringent
form.
Mr. HORSFALL was surprised at the objection urged
against the bill, namely, the difficulty of connecting the certi-
ficate with the cable. He hoped that shipowners were not
all rogues ; sod if they were, the 9th clause of the bill sub-
jected them to punishment.
Mr. LEFEVRE objected to the bill on principle, because
it was not the function of the state to interfere in matters
of this kind.
Mr. HASSAB.D supported the bill on the ground that it
would afford greater security to the lives of the crews.
The bill was then reed a sewed time, and ordered to be
committed on Wednesday next.