§ MR. FELLI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the cost to date of the inquiry into the Port of London Bill before the Committee, and how much more will it probably cost; from what source this sum will be paid, and if the capital of the dock trust is to be inflated or watered by the amount of these expenses; and how much the port dues will have to be increased to pay the additional interest charge involved.
§ MR. CHURCHILLIt is not possible to state at present the cost of the proceedings before the Joint Committee on the Port of London Bill. It is provided by the Bill that all costs incurred by the Board of Trade in connection with the preparing, applying for, obtaining and passing of the Act shall be repaid to the Board by the port authority. This is in accordance with the usual practice. It is not anticipated that the payment of these sums will have any appreciable effect on the amount of port dues, or that they will amount to anything approaching the cost that would have been incurred had the docks been purchased by arbitration.
§ MR. CHURCHILLI can add nothing to my Answer.