HOLYHEAD HARBOUR.—RESOLUTION. (Hansard, 23 July 1863)

COLONEL DUNNE
said, he wished to call attention to the Report of the Select Committee on Holyhead Harbour, and to ask whether the Government intended to act upon that Report or not. It would be recollected that the Chancellor of the Exchequer took exception to the appointment of the Committee, indulging in some warmth of feeling on the subject, and he had now to state that in Committee the President of the Board of Trade adopted a most extraordinary course. When the hon. Member for Glasgow submitted a Report to the effect that the present arrangements at Holyhead were sufficient, the right hon. Gentleman was one of the only two Members of the Committee who supported that view. The course thus taken was directly contrary to everything the Government had said or done during the last two years. Both in 1861 and 1862 the Government acknowledged that great inconvenience was experienced at Holyhead, and promised to provide a remedy. He therefore called upon the Government to redeem the pledge they had repeatedly given that they would make 1330 that landing-place fit for the accomodation of passengers.

§ MR. MILNER GIBSON
said, there was this good reason why the Government should not give a positive assurance as to the carrying-out of any particular plan—namely, that the evidence on which the Report of the Committee was founded had not been printed, and they ought to have an opportunity of reading that evidence, to ascertain whether it entirely bore out the Committee's recommendations. The Government, however, had no wish to evade any obligations which they had undertaken in this matter, but, on the contrary, it was their intention faithfully to fulfil them. They had a distinct legal instrument setting forth what it really was that the Government had undertaken. They had stipulated to provide the necessary piers and the access to them for nothing else but the mail service. The great Piers formerly contemplated were intended to provide for the transatlantic steamers; but when the proposed line of communication was given up, these piers became unnecessary for the requirements of the mail packets. His own opinion certainly was that the accommodation existing at the present time was not sufficient, but still it was found that the inferiority of the pier, as compared with those at Kingston, did not cause a delay of more than thirty seconds in landing the mails. It had also been found that during a strong northerly gale the vessels were able to come alongside the wooden jetty. It was not possible to enter into pledges and promises. The real complaint was that there was not accommodation for passengers, and on that point the Government had given no pledge whatever. Still he hoped that when the alterations, which had been contracted for by the Government, were made, good accommodation would be given to passengers. He hoped, therefore, that the Motion would not he pressed.

COLONEL DICKSON
said, that promises had been so often given and disregarded in respect to these improvements, that Irish Members were anxious for some distinct pledge that they would be carried out forthwith.

§ MR. LAIRD
said, that £70,000 had been asked by the Government for these works, and they were entitled to expect that the sum should be expended. The 1331 Committee recommended a plan which would only cost £35,000, and his hon. and gallant Friend was entitled to ask from the Government some pledge that they mean to do something efficient.

MR. PEEL
observed, that the estimate of £70,000 was for the whole works connected with the harbour of Holyhead from the beginning, £45,000 of which had al-ready been voted in previous years.

COLONEL DUNNE
said, he thought the manner in which the pledges of the Government had been disregarded in this matter was disgraceful.