§ 95. Mr. GILBERTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the number of vessels which have lain in the Thames unladen for five weeks, their names, total tonnage, and total cargoes; whether for a period of two months all grain cargo ships were withdrawn from the Port of London by Government orders; and whether this action disarranged the arrangements in London for unloading wheat?
§ Mr. PRETYMANI am informed by the Port of London Authority that delays have been experienced recently with grain-laden vessels, but that no vessels have lain in the Thames unladen for so long as five weeks, while to-day none are waiting in the river for dock accommodation. The Authority attributes the delays that 893 have occurred to irregularity in the arrival of the ships, and state that in October and the early part of November arrivals were so light that there was not sufficient work to keep their machinery and men fully employed, while about the middle of November grain vessels arrived in numbers far exceeding the available berthing accommodation, largely by reason of Government requirements.