§ MR. J. MACVEAGH (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Treasury has received a memorial from the Carrickfergus, county Antrim, Urban District Council and the Carrickfergus Harbour Commissioners, praying the Treasury to grant a reduction of the balance due on the loan advanced to the Harbour Commissioners, or a reduction in the rate of interest charged on the loan; whether, in view of the special circumstances recited in the memorial, the prayer of the memorialists will be acceded to; and whether the use of the dredger of the Board of Works 1131 will be authorised for the purposes mentioned in the memorial.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. RUNCIMAN,) DewsburyI presume that the hon. Member refers to a memorial which was received by the Treasury in 1906, praying that the balance of the loan due to the Board of Works might be remitted. The Treasury were unable to accede to the petition and my predecessor announced this decision to the hon. and gallant Member for East Antrim, who was supporting the memoralists. No later memorial has been received. Since that time the Urban District Council of Carrickfergus has sold certain lands upon which this loan has been secured, and the proceeds of the sale are, I understand, to be applied to extinguishing an earlier loan from the Public Works Loan Commissioners and to reducing by a considerable amount the debt outstanding to the Board of Works. In this way the harbour revenues will become largely available for purposes of improvement of the harbour, and I see no reason for making the concession prayed for. As regards the Board of Works dredger, I understand that if the Harbour Commissioners apply to the Board of Works, the application will be considered along with others and on the same terms.
§ MR. J. MACVEAGHWas not the memorial received by the Treasury last week?
§ MR. RUNCIMANNo, Sir.