§ 28. Mr. Neil Macleanasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if the salving of the ss. "Bobie," which was sunk in the Bristol Channel by H.M. minesweeper "Andelle," was undertaken or authorised by the Admiralty; how long 176 the salvage operations lasted; what was the cost of the operations, and how much was realised from the sale of the scrap; and whether he is satisfied that the work was carried out in the shortest possible time.
Mr. AlexanderThe removal of the wreck of the "Bobie" was undertaken by the Admiralty, acting as contractors to the Great Western Railway Company, who, as the harbour authority, with jurisdiction over the area in which the wreck lay, decided to have it removed as an obstruction to navigation. The operation lasted 33 days, including II days lost owing to weather conditions, and I am satisfied that there was no avoidable delay. The cost was£13,470 135. 6d., in addition to which there were expenses incurred directly by the railway company. I regret, however, that I have no information regarding the latter expenses nor as to the sum realised by the Great Western Railway Company by the sale of the wreck.
§ Mr. MacleanDoes the First Lord not consider that this is a very excessive price to pay for the salvaging of a small ship, and that it could have been done very much more cheaply by an expert firm of salvage operators? [HON. MEMBERS: "Private Enterprise."] Those who were doing it for the Admiralty were doing it in a private enterprise manner, which caused a lot of delay.
Mr. AlexanderI do not share the view put forward by my hon. Friend. In fact, the very great experience of the Admiralty, which has resulted in the salvaging of hundreds of hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth in this war, proves the contrary.