§ MR. DEVLIN (Belfast, W.)To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is in a position to furnish the names of the present members of the Belfast Harbour Trust, indicating those elected and those co-opted, with the number of votes recorded for each elected member; the date of last election; the number of voters then on the register and the total number of votes then recorded; and a list of the officials employed by the Trust and the salary paid to each, and the amount paid in weekly wages and the number of persons receiving such wages.
§ Mr. DEVLINTo ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the Belfast Harbour Commissioners invariably co-opt gentlemen on their Board who have no practical experience of nor enterprise in shipping or port work; whether the co-option takes place at peculiar times and under peculiar circumstances; whether he is aware of cases in which the retirement of Commissioners is held over by the chairman for months until the members are able to elect friends of their own; that friction has been going on for years past between the Harbour Trust and its employees; and whether, in view of the condition of affairs and the threatened destruction of the chief industry of Belfast, he will consult with the Prime Minister with a view to facilitating the passage through the House of the Harbour Authorities Bill, which is now awaiting its Second Reading.
§ MR. DEVLINTo ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the statements made by the right hon. Alexander Carlisle, managing director of the firm of Harland and Wolff, shipbuilders, of Belfast, on 27th June last, in that city, to the effect that during the past six months his firm had to refuse to tender for ships for the Anglo-American Oil Company, which would not have been the case if the Harbour Board had given them the ground they required; that the Trust had allowed not only the docks to silt up, and that in some cases the firm had difficulty in getting the Commissioners to remove the silt prior to the launching of large ships; that Messrs. Harland and Wolff were obliged to purchase in Germany a new floating crane, as the Harbour Commissioners refused to get one which would enable the firm to put the boilers and engines on board the new Holland-American liner at present building; that in 1906 the Harbour Commissioners refused to consider the erection of a crane, or to allow Messrs. Harland and Wolff to get one for themselves; and that when Messrs. Harland and Wolff offered to take £30,000 worth of harbour stock to enable the Trust to carry out improvements they refused to consider the offer; and whether, in view of these facts, he will order an immediate official inquiry into the whole question of the working and constitution of the Belfast Harbour Trust.
§ (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) I have sent copies of these three Questions to the Belfast Harbour Commissioners and have received a reply, of which I am sending a copy to the hon. Member. I have addressed a further inquiry to the Commissioners on one or two points not covered by their letter, to which I have not yet received a reply. Until the Harbour Authorities (Ireland) Bill is printed and circulated I cannot say how far the proposals contained therein would meet with the support of the Board of Trade.