§ MAJOR DICKSONasked the President of the Board of Trade, If he is now in a position to inform the House what course the Government intend to pursue with reference to the Dover Harbour Bill?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUE,in reply, said, that the Government had given very careful consideration to the Dover Harbour Bill, and while they were anxious to see improved channel communication, they would be reluctantly compelled to withhold their approval from the measure in its present form, as being calculated to injure seriously the great public work already existing at Dover—namely, the Admiralty Pier. At the same time they were anxious to see their way to the introduction of some plan for completing a public harbour at Dover, so as to combine both military and naval objects on the one hand, and the interests of improved channel communication on the other, and were in correspondence with the Dover Harbour authorities and the Railway Companies for the purpose of seeing what reasonable contribution they would be ready to make towards the work?