Mr. Bates, the Member for Plymouth, on Friday week answered
the assertions of Mr. Plimsoll as to his personal liability for sending unseaworthy ships to sea in a manner which seems to have completely satisfied the House of Commons. He went into the his- tory of the six ships lost in detail, showed that all were classed Al at Lloyd's, and that three had the extra star which implies that they are better than Lloyds' rules require, that they were worth £105,235, and that they were insured for 141,235 less. lie had lost that sum by them, and therein, said Mr. Bates, consisted the special injustice of such random charges. It mattered little to him to acknowledge such a loss, but in the case of a poorer man, the acknowledgment, which is tire essence of his defence, would destroy his credit, and probably lead to his ruiu. The House cheered warmly, but Mr. Plimsoll, who rose immediately after- wards, neither apologised nor explained. On Saturday night, therefore, Mr. Bates moved for a Select Committee of Inquiry into his conduct, and after an acrid debate, member after mem- ber declaring that Mr. Plimsoll's apology to the House should have included an apology to Mr. Bates, it was decided on Mr. Reed's motion that, "in the opinion of this House, no stain rests on the character of the Member for Plymouth from the statements of the 22nd July."
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