Mr. MONK.

I -could not consent to that, not because I do not wish to accommodate my hon. friend, but the principle is at stake. I think the suggestion of my hon. friend the Minister of Finance is a more Mr. CARVELL.

reasonable and a wiser one, -because the principle is too important for us to allow it to be adopted under the conditions which exist at present. I would be quite prepared to change -my motion to a motion for the adjournment, but my hon. friend must see that if we allow the second reading of the Bill to be adopted to-night, the principle of the Bill is adopted, and I think it would entail to grave consequences to do anything of the kind by consent.

Mr. -MILLER. If we allow this Bill to pass its second reading on condition that it be referred to the Banking and Commerce Committee for the reasons I have stated, we are not accepting the principle of the Bill.

Amendment (Mr. Monk) agreed to, and debate adjourned.

SINCLAIR (Guysborough) moved the second reading_ of Bill (No. 15) to amend the Canada Shipping Act. He -qid: Mr. Speaker, the shipping law of

Canada as it now stands, provides for the annual inspection of the iboiler, -hull, machinery and equipment of every Canadian ship subject to inspection by an officer of the Department of Marine and Fisheries. To this present provision I propose to add the following words:

Provided that any steamboat holding a certificate from the British Board of Trade, or the committee of Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping, shall, during the currency of such certificate, he exempt from the ordinary annual inspection under this Act on sailing from any port in Canada.

The effect of this Bill will be to dispense with the double inspection of Canadian ships. Every Canadian ship now, as I have said, is subjected to practically a double inspection. She is required to be inspected by Lloyds in order to obtain insurance. She. has to maintain her classification at Lloyds in order to be entitled to obtain insurance from Lloyds Company. That involves an inspection by Lloyds officers and the inspection of the larger ships is usually made in England, when they are over there trading. Then, under the present law, when a ship returns to Canadian waters she is required to subject herself to a second inspection by the officers of the Department of Marine and Fisheries. The contention is that this is unnecessary as Lloyds inspection is quite sufficient to satisfy the British Board of Trade. The British Board of Trade do not require a shin to submit to inspection by the Board of Trade after it has been inspected by Lloyds; in fact, the British Board of Trade have acknowledged Lloyds inspection to be quite sufficient.

Not only the British Board of Trade but the republic of France has very recently passed a similar law to the effect that whenever a French or English ship has been inspected by Lloyds the inspection in France as well as in Great Britain during the current year is dispensed with. I propose to place Canadian ships in the same position. This double imposes a great deal of expense upon Canadian ships. The inspection of a ship means that she must be placed on the dry dock, her boilers have to be cooled off the coal in her bunkers have to be cleaned out and it means several days delay. Some of these large ships earn $100 and some of them $200 a day or more. If Lloyds' inspection be considered good enough in England, there should be no reason why it should not be good enough in Canada. I submit therefore that the Bill ought to pass, and I would suggest, with the leave of the hon. Minister of Marine and Fisheries (Mr. Brodeur), that it be referred to the Committee on Marine and Fisheries.

Mr. BRODEUR.

I am ready, so long as this Bill is going to be referred to the Committee on Marine and Fisheries to agree that it should be read the second time. This question of inspection is somewhat important and I may say to the credit of the officer who has the administration of that branch of the service, Mr. Adams, that the work has been done in such a way that we must note the fact that no accidents have happened. This we attribute to the fact that this officer is exercising a great deal of caution in the proper inspection of all ships. I would like very much that this gentleman, who has had a great deal of experience, should have an opportunity of being heard upon this issue which my hon. friend (Mr. Sinclair) is raising. I know that our inspection is somewhat severe but at the same time it must be acknowledged that under certain circumstances it was found that this inspection was absolutely necessary in order to ensure the safety of the persons who are on these ships. I have in my mind a case which occurred lately where a ship having a certificate from Lloyds, I think-I am not sure about that, but it was from one of these large associations-was subjected to our inspection. We asked that the tests generally required by the .department be applied to this ship and when they were applied it was found that the boiler was in absolutely bad condition. I think I would hesitate a great deal before accepting the proposition made by my hon. friend. But, I would like to have an opportunity to hear persons interested, the insurance companies and the vessel owners, on this subject and in view of the suggestion which has been made that the Bill be referred to the Committee on Marine and Fisheries I will not object to the second reading with that reservation.

Mr. SPROULE.

What business will be taken up to-morrow?

Mr. FIELDING.

The Bills of the Minister of Inland Revenue, and afterwards we hope to move into Supply on the estimates of the Minister of Public Works.