268.—For the purposes of this Part of this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

(1) The expression “ emigrant ship ” shall mean every sea-going ship, whether British or foreign, and whether or not conveying mails, carrying, upon any voyage to which the provisions of this Part of this Act respecting emigrant ships apply, more than fifty steerage passengers or a greater number of steerage passengers than in the proportion—

(a) if the ship is a sailing ship, of one statute adult to thirty-three tons of the ship’s registered tonnage; and

(b) if the ship is a steam ship of one statute adult to every twenty tons of the ship’s registered tonnage; and

includes a ship which, having proceeded from a port outside the British Islands, takes on board at any port in the British Islands such number of steerage passengers whether British subjects or aliens resident in the British Islands, as would, either with or without the steerage passengers which she already has on board, constitute her an emigrant ship;

(2) The expression “ statute adult ” shall mean a person of the age of twelve years or upwards, and two persons between the ages of one and twelve years shall be treated as one statute adult;

F126[(3) The expression 'steerage passenger' means all passengers except cabin passengers, and persons shall not be deemed cabin passengers unless—

(a) the space allotted to their exclusive use is in the proportion of at least thirty-six superficial feet to each statute adult; and

(b) the fare contracted to be paid by them amounts to at least the sum of twenty-five pounds for the entire voyage or is in the proportion of at least sixty-five shillings for every thousand miles of the length of the voyage; and

(c) they have been furnished with a duly signed contract ticket in the form prescribed by the Board of Trade for cabin passengers.]

(4) The expression “ steerage passage ” shall include passages of all passengers except cabin passengers;

(5) The expression “ upper passenger deck ” shall mean and include the deck immediately beneath the upper deck, or the poop or round house and deck house when the number of passengers, whether cabin or steerage passengers, carried in the poop, round house, or deck house, exceeds one third of the total number of steerage passengers which the ship can lawfully carry on the deck next below;

(6) The expression “ lower passenger deck ” shall mean and include the deck next beneath the upper passenger deck not being an orlop deck.