HC Deb 25 July 1889 vol 338 cc1267-9
DR. CAMEEON (Glasgow, College)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, in compliance with the memorials sent to Her Majesty's Government in several Sessions of Parliament from shipowners of Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and other seaports, asking for an investigation into the Trinity House Report on the South Foreland experiments with lighthouse illuminants, amongst which was a memorial sent by shipowners of Glasgow to Lord Salisbury last year, signed by 53 important shipowning firms of that city, and containing the text of similar memorials from shipowners of Glasgow to the Board of Trade in 1886 and 1887, to which 20 and 43 signatures were respectively attached, all strongly urging further investigation into that Report, the Board of Trade have appointed a Committee, consisting of Sir George Stokes and two other Members of the Royal Society, to report to them on the particular point as to whether the conclusions of the Trinity House Report are justified by the records of the experiments contained therein; whether the terms upon which the shipowners agreed to this reference were stated by Mr. Wigham, in a letter to the Board of Trade, to be that it should be an essential part of the reference that the Committee should receive such evidence and explanations as might be submitted to them, with the object of elucidating his allegations and those of the shipowners; whether Mr. Wigham has formally tendered to the Committee these explanations and evidence, and what time has been fixed by the Committee to receive them; whether any steps have been taken by the Committee to make it publicly known that such evidence will be received; and, whether the inquiry will be publicly conducted, so that shipowners and others interested may be present and tender evidence should they desire to do so?

* SIR M. HICKS BEACH

After protracted correspondence I requested the President of the Royal Society in April last to nominate, in consultation with his Council, a small Committee of that body, which he very kindly consented to do, and the reference made to them was as follows:— Whether the conclusions of the Trinity House, as set forth in their Report on Lighthouse Illuminants, are justified by the record of the experiments contained therein. I am not aware how far Mr. Wigham has been authorised to represent the shipowners named in the question; but he unconditionally agreed to this inquiry. It is within the discretion of the Committee to receive such evidence as they may think desirable to enable them to decide upon the point at issue; but I have no information as to what steps have been taken by the Committee, nor does it seem to me desirable or expedient that I should interfere with their discretion as to the mode in which the reference is conducted.