§ MR. CAVErose to ask the right hon. the President of the Board of Trade the 859 question of which he had given notice. It would be necessary that he should preface this question with a few brief sentences by way of explanation; but, as he was well aware that this was not a subject of general interest, though deeply affecting a most important body—the shipowners of the United Kingdom—he would take care that those sentences were very brief and few. In the year 1860 a Bill was introduced into this House, called "The Clearance Inwards and Lien for Freight Bill." It was intended to repeal certain provisions in the Merchant Shipping Acts which had become obsolete, and were quite inapplicable to the present mode of carrying on the commerce of the country. It introduced uniformity of practice in the place of a most perplexing variety; and it did away with evils which had long been loudly complained of, and which were deeply injurious to the shipping interests of the port of London. To give an idea of the extreme inconvenience of the present law, he would mention only one point out of many. When a ship arrived in port from a voyage, it might be imagined that her owner would require the consignee of her cargo to land it with all reasonable despatch, in. order that his vessel might proceed again upon her outward voyage; but the fact was, that he was compelled by law to keep his ship as a gratuitous warehouse for an unlimited period, unless it should suit the good pleasure of the consignee to remove the goods earlier. His only alternative was to enter the goods as his own, which would formerly have subjected him to a penalty, and which was still an irregular act, and might be called an evasion of the law. Now, when it was considered that the introduction of steam and the diminution of the profits of the shipowner had made rapidity in the voyage, and despatch in loading and discharging, most essential, some alteration in the law was absolutely necessary. And since British shipowners were exposed to competition with the whole world, every artificial burden and restriction ought to be removed from them. This was the object of the Bill of 1860. It was no scheme of a private member anxious to indulge some whim of his own, or to further some local interests. On' the Back of the Bill appeared the influential names of the President and Vice President of the Board of Trade. It was not hurried through the House without sufficient notice, for, though laid upon the table early in the Session, it 860 was carried so late that it could not come before the House of Lords. They were told that the Customs authorities had been duly consulted, and he (Mr. Cave) had reason to know that deputations from shipowners, dock companies, wharfingers, and out ports, had frequent and protracted interviews with the right hon. Gentleman, and gave him the benefit of their experience and advice. It was hotly discussed in Committee, at great length, for, he thought, three nights; several changes and Amendments were proposed and adopted, till at length what might be supposed to have been a perfect measure was produced—at least, he knew it gave general satisfaction to the shipping interest. But, as he said before, it was too late to pass the House of Lords, and it was generally understood that it would be reintroduced at the earliest moment of the following Session. But another Session passed away, and there was no sign from the Board of Trade. The shipowners, therefore, naturally complained that their interests had been neglected, and he thought that the House had a good right to complain that a measure which it passed with so much care and deliberation should have been allowed for so long to lie dormant without an effort to restore suspended animation. Perhaps it might not yet be too late to resort to this process, and it was with that hope that he begged to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he intended to reintroduce during this Session the Clearance Inwards and Lien for Freight Bill, which passed the House of Commons in 1860, or to incorporate its provisions in any other Bill?
§ MR. MILNER GIBSONsaid, that the hon. Gentleman had very accurately described what had passed in the Session of 1860, with reference to the Bill. It was perfectly true that the Bill had passed in that House; but subsequently it was stated that hon. Members connected with the commercial interest had not paid that attention to it which it was desirable its provisions should receive at their hands. That was what had been stated, and it led the Government to reconsider the objections which had been urged to the Bill. He had come to the conclusion that the Bill of 1860 was, in the main, a good one; and they were now in communication with the Customs authorities on the subject. With regard to one portion of the Bill, there was a controversy between the wharfingers on the one hand, and the docks on the other, which was of such a 861 character as to render it difficult to pass such a measure as the hon. Gentleman wished for; but the Government were willing to introduce a Bill after consultation with the Customs. That consultation was now going on, and he hoped it would settle the matter.