Lords Sitting of 12 March 1872

MINUTES.
SELECT COMMITTEE—Alderney (Harbour and Fortifications), appointed.
PUBLIC BILLS—First Reading—Deans and Canons Resignation * (48).
Committee—Report—Poor Law Loans * (38). Report—Bank of Ireland Charter Amendment* (37).
Third Reading—Public Parks (Ireland)* (30), and passed.

ALDERNEY (HARBOUR AND FORTIFICATIONS).

  MOTION FOR A SELECT COMMITTEE.
  THE DUKE OF SOMERSET THE DUKE OF SOMERSET moved for a Select Committee to inquire into the present state of the Harbour and Fortifications of Alderney. It would not be necessary for him to trouble their Lordships at any length, because the Government were about to assent to the appointment of the Committee. Their Lordships were aware that the harbour and fortifications of Alderney had been a source of heavy expenditure to the country. He need not go back to the year 1844 and state under what circumstances the works were begun; he would come to 1870. It had been considered that the harbour had been completed since 1865 or thereabouts. But in 1870 a storm came on which damaged the breakwater and very much injured the harbour. The Government, thereupon, took what, in his opinion, was the wisest course. They employed an eminent engineer (Mr. Hawkshaw) to go to Alderney and examine the works, see what was the amount of damage done, and whether any portion of the harbour and breakwater were still in a sound state. The gentleman so employed set about what would have been really useful work if he had had time to finish it. In his first report, he stated that it would take some time to make a really useful report, such as could be trusted, inasmuch as in order to tell how far the damage to the breakwater extended it was necessary for him to take a number of cross sections and measurements. He was authorized to do that and to have the breakwater examined from time to time. But, in the meantime, the subject came on for discussion in the House of Commons; and that House, alarmed at the great expenditure that was going on, determined—rather hastily as he thought—to give no more money for Alderney. When the engineer heard that, he packed up his measurements and his instruments, and came home. Since that nothing more had been done at Alderney; but at the request of the Government the engineer had made a report of the re-
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  sult of his examination as far as it had been carried. He reported that it was very probable the remaining portion of the breakwater would be washed into the harbour, and the whole works be in that way spoiled. A sum of over £250,000 had been expended on the forts and on a railway which had been constructed as a means of communication between the harbour and the forts. Of course, as the breakwater was at present useless, the harbour was useless, and the whole of the defences were useless. It would be impossible in the present state of the place to arm the forts, or send over the military required to defend them. The whole question of Alderney had, therefore, been placed in abeyance. The Treasury was naturally anxious to save money, and it told the people of Alderney that it could hold out no hope to them of anything more, because the harbour had already cost a great deal; and it reminded them that the people of Alderney did not contribute to the public Revenue. It was quite true that the people of Alderney did not contribute to the public Revenue; but it was equally true that they had no representative in Parliament, and, therefore, they naturally looked to their Lordships to do what they could for them in looking after their interests, which, having no Member in the other House, they could not get done there. But there were other reasons why their Lordships should be willing to give some attention to this subject. Their Lordships knew that the works were commenced under the sanction of the Duke of Wellington and other distinguished officers, who considered the works at Alderney essential for the protection of the Channel, and very important to the defence of the United Kingdom itself. He (the Duke of Somerset), when First Lord of the Admiralty, had had communication with the first military authorities on the subject; and, at his instigation, Mr. Sidney Herbert, the then Secretary for War, personally inspected the island. He himself visited the island three times, with Sir John Burgoyne, Sir George Lewis, and Lord Ripon, accompanied by eminent military authorities. Lord Herbert consulted with Sir John Burgoyne as to the expediency of maintaining the works; and that eminent officer was in favour of their being continued. He said that nothing would be easier than to defend

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  the island with 5,000 men against any enemy, if those works were completed. Lord Herbert said the difficulty was not to defend it against an enemy, but to defend it against the House of Commons. He was afraid they would never be able to complete the works. The military works had been completed, and he believed they were very perfect; but the harbour had broken down; and the question was, what course, under the circumstances, ought to be taken. He (the Duke of Somerset) thought it would be unwise to incur a very large expense on the harbour, because when the most that could be made of it was made it would always be a very bad harbour; but so much money having already been spent on the breakwater, it might be desirable to do what was necessary to repair the portion that remained sound—if, indeed, any part remained—so as to make the harbour so far available that troops could be landed and war supplies could be taken over to the fortications. He thought these views deserved consideration. It seemed almost childish to say that we ought to leave Alderney as it was, after having expended £1,250,000 on what had been done there. He submitted to their Lordships, therefore, that it would be only reasonable to have an inquiry just to see how the immense expenditure on Alderney could be wound up, the forts and harbours being made what they ought to be for the defence of the island. This would benefit the inhabitants, who, if they had no harbour, would have no efficient means of communicating either with the other Channel Islands or with England herself.
  Moved, "That a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into the present state of the Harbour and Fortifications of Alderney."—(The Duke of Somerset.)
  EARL COWPERthought that if their Lordships were to examine the plans and had the whole history of the works at Alderney before them they would arrive at the conclusion that a more extraordinary monument of mismanagement and folly it would be difficult to find. In 1845 the works were commenced under the influence of a panic of invasion, and the point fixed upon was a mass of shoals and rocks between which it was difficult to find a passage. The harbour was begun on a comparatively small scale;
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  but every succeeding First Lord of the Admiralty had had a new scheme brought before him, and the result was that about £1,250,000 had been spent at Alderney. The noble Duke (the Duke of Somerset), he believed, when First Lord, instead of extending the scheme, tried to curtail it a little; but ultimately the Admiralty got sick of it, and turned it over to the Board of Trade. That Board was a most extraordinary body to have charge of it. The harbour was of no value to the shipping trade, and as a harbour of refuge it was not of the slightest use, for no master of merchant ships, however great his danger, would ever think of attempting to run into it. Last year the House of Commons, after having grumbled for many years, refused to pay any more money for the undertaking. It remained, therefore, for the Board of Trade to see what they would do. There was a contract already existing; certain work had been done badly, and the Board decided on abandoning the whole scheme. It was quite true that an enormous amount of money—more than £1,000,000—had been spent upon it; but Mr. Hawkshaw reported that it would take £250,000 to prevent what work had been already done from falling to pieces. That amounted to an annual charge of £10,000. If the last 1,000 yards were abandoned £150,000 would be required. Her Majesty's Government had no objection to such an inquiry as that suggested by the noble Duke. All parties in this country were to a certain degree responsible for what had been done in the matter, and all parties were interested in arriving at a conclusion as to whether any more money ought to be spent, or whether it would not be wiser to put up with the expenditure of £1,250,000, which could not now be recalled, and spend nothing more.
  Motion agreed to.
  And, on Friday, March 15, the Lords following were named of the Committee:—

  D. Cambridge.

  E. Camperdown.

  D. Somerset.

  L. Colville of Culross.

  D. Marlborough.

  L. Skelmersdale.

  E. Lauderdale.

  L. Seaton.

  E. Cowper.

  L. Lyveden.

  E. Grey.

  House adjourned at half-past Five o'clock, to Thursday next, half-past Ten o'clock.