§ MR. CARR-GOMM (Southwark, Rotherhithe)On behalf of the hon. Member for the Droitwich Division of Worcestershire, I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the number of rowing-boats, house-boats, launches, and other pleasure craft registered on the Thames between Teddington and Gricklade, and what is the number of registered owners of the same; and, having regard to the fact that the users 406 of these craft provide about a quarter of the revenue of the Conservators, why no direct representation has been proposed to be given to such persons on the Board of Conservators which is to be brought into existence by the Port of London Bill.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. CHURCHILL,) DundeeI am informed by the Thames Conservancy that the number of house-boats, launches, and other pleasure craft registered on the Thames between Teddington and Cricklade is 13,520 and the number of registered owners is 6,375. The amount received in 1907 for registration fees and lock tolls was £8,523, being about 16 per cent, of the total revenue of the Conservators for that part of the river. I do not think that it would be practicable to provide direct representation for these owners of pleasure craft who are distributed over a very wide area, but I am proposing an Amendment of the Bill under which the Board of Trade will nominate two representatives specially selected to represent those who use the river as a place of recreation by boating or otherwise. This Amendment is very similar to an Amendment given notice of by the Thames Preservation League.