§ LORD CHARLES BERESFORD (York)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty, whether the total amount voted for harbour and dockyard works at 485 Gibraltar is £3,748,000; will he state when these works are to be completed, how much of the total sums voted has been expended, whether there has been any delay, and, if so, from what cause: will he explain why, although one dock at Gibraltar was promised, in 1895, to be completed by 1898, the first dock has not yet been begun; what length of the Admiralty Mole has been completed, how much remains to be completed, whether there has been any delay, and, if so, from what cause; whether he can offer any hopes that dredging operations at Gibraltar will be finished within the next three years: and, whether he is aware that, until the dredging is finished, vessels drawing over 22 feet have not room to swing inside the Mole?
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThe total estimate for the works at Gibraltar, including the Commercial Mole, is £4,369,0000, but the sums voted up to date are considerably less than this. The estimated expenditure up to the close of the present financial year, is £718,000. The schedule time for the completion of the one dock originally contemplated was 1899–1900, not 1898 as stated in the question, but owing to the great increase in this part of the work sanctioned by Parliament in 1896, some extension of time will be necessary. The removal of the New Mole Parade has been completed, and the excavation in the rock for the first dock has been begun, but the scheme is now of such a character that one dock cannot be constructed independently of the others, and a new boat camber and dockyard have to be formed before the old one on the site of the new docks can be given up. This work is proceeding. The total length of the Admiralty Mole extension is 2,700 feet, of which 990 feet have been completed above low water level, leaving 1,750 feet to complete. On the unfinished part there had been deposited up to the 31st December last, 171,000 cubic yards of stone. This is exclusive of work done on the detached Mole. There is every reason to expect that the defence of the harbour will be complete by the date scheduled in the Act—1890—though some details will remain to be finished after that time. A large proportion of the dredging will be done during the next three years, but its final completion 486 will probably extend beyond that date. Up to the 31st December, 617,000 tons had been dredged within a 5-fathom line. There is at present, space for a few vessels of considerably over 22 feet, but until the harbour is completed, the space available is necessarily restricted.
§ MR. WOODALLWill the hon. Member kindly tell us whether, seeing that the dockyard and torpedo sheds at Gibraltar remained undisturbed, though the sites were required for the new docks, he can explain why nothing had been done towards this removal and effective construction elsewhere?
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThat work is going on, and will be carried out at once.