§ MR. M'LAGANasked the President of the Board of Trade, How many Harbour authorities have applied for confirmation of Bye-laws under "The Explo- 326 sives Act, 1875;" how many codes of Bye-laws have been confirmed; in how many Harbours has the total prohibition of the loading or unloading of explosives been sanctioned by the Board of Trade; how many Harbour authorities have submitted Bye-laws to the Board of Trade more than six months ago which have not yet been confirmed; what steps he is prepared to take to compel those Harbour authorities which have not yet submitted Bye-laws for confirmation to do so without delay; and, if he is prepared to bring in a measure containing a general set of Bye-laws for the regulation of the traffic in explosives which will be applicable to all the Harbours of the Kingdom?
§ SIR CHARLES ADDERLEYOne hundred and forty-eight harbour authorities have applied to the Board of Trade for confirmation of their bye-laws. In 86 cases the bye-laws have been confirmed, in 34 of which loading or unloading explosives has been prohibited. There are still under consideration 52 cases in which the bye-laws were originally submitted more than six months ago, the delay being in general caused by the harbour authorities taking time to consider or omitting to comply with suggestions made by the Board of Trade. The Act has conferred no power on the Board of Trade to exercise the compulsion suggested by the Question. I am not prepared to recommend a general set of bye-laws applicable to all harbours, as the varying circumstances of different harbours render it, in my opinion, impracticable to frame a model code of bye-laws which would be suitable for all harbours.