§ MR. JESSE COLLINGSasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Whether he will afford an opportunity to the House of discussing the sale of the Southport foreshore to certain landowners before the sale is completed?
§ MR. DODSON, in reply, said, he begged to point out, in the first place, that the rights of the Duchy to this foreshore was in dispute with the riparian proprietors; and, therefore, if the Corporation had acquired it, they would still have had the riparian proprietors to deal with. In answer to the Question, he was afraid he could only repeat what he had said before, that there was a binding contract from which the Duchy could not recede. The sale was in equity complete. He did not know whether the hon. Gentleman was aware—if not, he would be glad to hear—that the riparian proprietors had offered to the Corporation those portions of the foreshore opposite the town, which were required for sanitary or recreation purposes, at a nominal price. That being so, he ventured to hope that an arrangement between the parties might, before long, be arrived at on amicable terms.
§ MR. JESSE COLLINGSasked whether the seal of the Duchy had been attached?
§ MR. DODSONsaid, he stated the other night that the seal of the Duchy might not be put in requisition for some time to come; but the contract entered into was none the less binding, and it was not one which it was in his power to recede from, even if he wished.
§ MR. JESSE COLLINGSasked whether he was to understand that the right hon. Gentleman had agreed not to attach the seal until the question had been brought, under the notice of the House? ["No!"] He wished also to ask whether the right hon. Gentleman was not aware that the written Report of the Surveyor General of the Duchy was to the effect that the 39 Duchy had full powers, and that the so-called riparian owners had no rights whatever? This was a question of life and death to Southport. Was the right hon. Gentleman aware that the landowners had refused to name the nominal price; and, further, that as regarded the borough of Preston, which was in precisely the same position, the landowners had already refused an increase of 100 per cent on what they had paid to the Duchy for the land?
§ MR. DODSONsaid, he was not aware of the transaction with regard to the borough of Preston to which the hon. Gentleman had referred. With respect to the opinion which the hon. Gentleman stated that the Surveyor General of the Duchy had expressed as to the rights of the riparian proprietors, he would point out that the Surveyor General was not a legal authority, nor one by whose legal opinion he ought to be guided. The contract, as he had said, was a binding one; and he could not refuse to attach the seal of the Duchy when he was called upon to do it.
MR. JESSE CODLINGSasked whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that it appeared from the Correspondence that Mr. Whittaker, the Legal Adviser of the Duchy, agreed with the Surveyor General that the lords of the manor had no right whatever to the foreshore?
§ MR. DODSONsaid, he was not aware that Mr. Whittaker had ever laid that down. At all events, the position was this—the Duchy had a dispute as to rights with the riparian proprietors, and that dispute was not unlikely to lead to a lawsuit. It was not for him to question the validity of the right which the Duchy asserted.
§ MR. JESSE COLLINGSwas proceeding to put further Questions, when——
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid, that several Questions which had already been put had been fully answered, and that Notice of any further Questions ought to be given.
§ MR. JESSE COLLINGSsaid, he would again put a Question to the right hon. Gentleman on the subject to-morrow.
§ MR. SPEAKERI must point out to the hon. Member that he has already asked several Questions, and has received answers; and if he desires to put further Questions on the matter, I submit that Notice should be given.
§ MR. JESSE COLLINGSgave Notice that to-morrow he would ask a further Question on the subject.