The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-20 00:00:00

OVERCROWDING STEAMERS.

The following official reply has been given to a
complaint forwarded to the Board of Trade by an aggrieved
passenger:

" Baird of Trade, Whitehall, Sept. IR.
" Sir,—l am directed by the Board of Trade to acknow-
ledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th inst., addressed
to the President. calling attention to an alleged case
of overcrowding on board the Albert Victor, a
steamer usually employed in carrying passengers
between London and blargate and Itamsgate. It
appears from a newspaper extract (which you have
enclosed), purporting to be a letter written by the chief
steward of the Albert Victor that the vessel had on board
nearly 1.000 pawners on the occasion of e. recent excur-
sion to Boulogne. You add that you raise the question, as
this system of overcrowding might, iu the event of acci-
dent, lead to great loss of life. In reply to your letter I
have to state that under the fourth part of the Merchant
Shipping Act, 1854, the owner of every steam vessel car-
rying any person other then the master and crew, and the
owner, his family, and servants, to, from, or be-
tweets any place or places in the United King-
dom, is required to bare his vessel surveyed by
surveyors appointed by the board for the pur-
pose. The surveyors give declarations of survey it they are
satisfied that the hull and boilers and machinery of the
vessel are in good condition, and will for the MA months
following their survey be sufficient for the service intended.
The surveyor's declarations are forwarded to the Board of
Trade, by whom a passenger certificate ie issued. This
certificate, which contains among other things& statement
of tl.e number of passengers that the vessel is in the sur-
veyor's judgment tit to carry, is required by the act to be
posted in SODA conspicuous place where it au be seen
by all persons on board the vessel. If any pas-
senger steamer carries passengers in excess of the num-
ber stated in her certificate, or if she
.proceeds to sea wits
passengers on any voyage or excursion without having
a valid certificate posted up in a conspicuous place on
board, or if, having a certificate applicable to any voyage
or excursion, she goes beyond the limits stated in thet cer-
tificate, the owner and master become liable to the
penalties named in the act. arcs. 318 and :119. I am,
however, to inform you that the duties intrusted to the
Board of Trade by the legislature end when the passenger
certificate is issued. The Baird of Trade are not a
police department, and have neither the numro nor the
authority to prevent overcrowding in paesenger steamships.
If the police or other local authorities. or hoards
having local jurisdiction, or any pee on aggrieved by the
overcrowding of a passenger steamer, think it necessary or
desirable, for safety of the public or fur his own protection,
that the penalties for overcrowding should be enforced,
is rests with them or him to institute proceedings for the
recovery of the penalties incurred. As regards the
Albert Victor, she is in posseash n of two certificates,
one authorising her to carry 815 passengers between
London and Margate, and the other authorising her to
carry 491 passengers between London and Rsinagate and
Dover, or between Dover and Boulogne. If she had nearly
1,000 passengers on board on a voyage to Boulogne on the
occasion referred to in the steward's letter the owner and
master have infringed the law, and are liable, hesi.les other
penalties, to • penalty for every person on hoard over and
above the number 491 allowed by this board's certificate.
The Board of Trade have thought it right to explain the
case fully to you. They have also written to the Home-
office on the subject of overcrowding on the Thames, and
to the local baud/ of health at Margate and Resonate on
the subject of the overcrowding steam vessels plying to
Margate and Ramsgate from the port of London.—l
am, &a., " THOMAIS GRAY."

LORD VERNON ON AGRICULTURAL MATTEM4.—
The Right Hon. Lord Vernon presided on Wednesday
evening at the dinner, at Derby, in emmection with the
annual exhibition of the Derbyshire Agricultural and
Horticultural Society, which is the largest and most
flourishing institution of its kind in the midland and
northern counties. The exhibition was a great success,
nearly 4001. being offered in prizes for cattle (permission
to exhibit which was obtained by a special ender from the
Privy Council), /Lc. The dinner was attended by nearly
400 ladies and gentlemen. Among throe present were Lard
helper, the Earl of Harrington, Lord Peteraham, Mr. T. W.
Evans, M.P., Mr. W. T. Cox, M.P., the lion. and Rev.
E. W. It. Coke the Hon. W. M. Jarvis, Mr. Mandy,
late M.P. for South Derbyshire, ice.
WORKINti MEN'S LORD'S DAY RUsT ASROCIA-
TD.N.—eM Wednesday evening a public meeting to further
the object of this ansociation sras held in the National
School-mom, High-street, Peckham, under the presidency
of the Rev. John Allen, the incumbent, who, in opening
the meeting, said that be cordially supported the move-
ment. The Sabbath was a day on which we could hold
intercourse with our fellow-man and our Creator. Mr.
Pricer moved, "That this meeting, believing that one
day's rest in seven is essential to man's physical, social.
and moral welfare, cordially approves of the object of the
Working Men's Lord's Day Rest Association." The Rev.
G. M. Murphy seconded this resolution, and said that he
had just returned from the continent, where on the Sab-
bath day he had seen the carpenter working, the builders
building, the mowers mowing, the painters painting, and
all other trades carried on a. on week days. Another
resolution in favour of legislation to protect the trading
community in the enjoyment of Sunday rest was moved
by the Rev. T. J. Cole, and seconded by Mr. Witbey, and
the proceediap closed with a vote of thanks to she
chairman.