Merchant Shipping Act 1894

Section 298.

TWELFTH SCHEDULE WATER AND PROVISIONS.

Water and provisions shall be issued to the steerage passengers according to the following dietary scales; (that is to say)

Water.

Three quarts daily to each statute adult, exclusive of the quantity necessary, for cooking any article issued under this schedule in a cooked state.

Provisions.

Weekly, per statute adult:—

—	SCALE A.		SCALE B.
	For Voyages not exceeding 84 Days for Sailing Ships or 50 Days for Steamships of Ships having Steam Power in aid of Sails.		For Voyages exceeding 84 Days for Sailing Vessels or 50 Days for Steamships or Ships having Steam Power in aid of Sails.
	lbs.	ozs.	lbs.	ozs.
Bread or biscuit, not inferior to navy biscuit	3	8	3	8
Wheaten flour	1	0	2	0
Oatmeal	1	8	1	0
Rice	1	8	0	8
Peas	1	8	1	8
Beef	1	4	1	4
Pork	1	0	1	0
Butter	—		0	4
Potatoes	2	0	2	0
Sugar	1	0	1	0
Tea	0	2	0	2
Salt	0	2	0	2
Mustard	0	0 ½	0	0 ½
Pepper (white or black), ground	0	0 ¼	0	0 ¼
Vinegar	One gill.		One gill.
Preserved meat			1	0
Suet			0	6
Raisins			0	8
Lime juice			0	6
			(See below)

Substitutions.

Substitutions at the following rates may, at the option of the master of any emigrant ship, be made in the above dietary scales, as follows; (that is to say,)

1 ¼ lb. of soft bread baked on board	for	{ 1 lb. of flour, or 1 lb. of biscuit, or 1 ¼ lb. of oatmeal, or 1 lb. of rice, or 1 lb. of peas.
1 lb. of preserved meat	for	1 lb. of salt pork or beef.
1 lb. of flour or of bread or biscuit, or ½ lb. of beef or of pork }	for	{ 1 ¼ lb. of oatmeal, or 1 lb. of rice, or 1 lb. of peas.
1 lb. of rice	for	1 ¼ lb. of oatmeal, or vice versâ.
¼ lb. of preserved potatoes	for	1 lb. of potatoes.
10 oz. of currants	for	8 oz. of raisins.
3 ½ oz. of cocoa or of coffee, roasted and ground }	for	2 oz. of tea.
¾ lb. of treacle	for	½ lb. of sugar.
1 gill of mixed pickles	for	1 gill of vinegar.

Provided that the substituted articles are set forth in the contract tickets of the steerage passengers.

Regulations as to Lime Juice.

Lime Juice.

When the ship is not in the Tropics, it shall not be obligatory to issue lime juice, but lime juice may be issued at the discretion of the. medical practitioner on board, or if there is no such medical practitioner, at the discretion of the master.

Regulations as to Messes and Issue of Provisions.

(1) Steerage passengers may be divided into messes, but a mess shall not consist of more than ten statute adults.

(2) Members of the same family, whereof one at least is a male adult, shall be allowed to form a separate mess.

(3) Water and provisions according to the above scales shall be issued daily before two o'clock in the afternoon to the head person for the time being of each mess, on behalf and for the use of the members thereof.

(4) The first of the issues shall be made before two o'clock in the afternoon of the day of embarkation to such of the steerage passengers as are then on board.

(5) Such provisions as require to be cooked shall be issued in a properly cooked state.