PILOTAGE PROVISIONAL ORDER BILL. (Hansard, 21 May 1896)

§ LORD NORTON

said, that owing to his late connection with the Board of Trade, letters had been addressed to him both asking his support and opposition to this Pilotage Provisional Order, by which certain shipowners had induced the Board of Trade to use their powers under the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 to introduce into their Pilotage Committee for the London District a representation of shipowners and of pilots. The ordinary pilots as a body opposed it, saying that none of their body would be able to attend meetings of the Committee. Only the out-port pilots had been got to support it. The shipowners' object in supporting it was the hope of cutting down the pilots' charges, and of getting rid of compulsory pilotage. No complaint had 47 been made of the Trinity House regulations justifying this introduction of outside representation into the administration of their most important work, and he confessed to mistrust of the present mania for electioneering, as if it were a necessary ingredient to all popular service, however perfectly performed. His predecessor in the office, Mr. Bright, naturally disliked the Trinity House as a self-elected body, yet no one ever praised more highly its work as honest, effective, and economical.

§ THE SECRETARY TO THE BOARD OF TRADE (The EARL of DUDLEY)

said that his noble Friend seemed to think that this was a new departure on the part of the Board of Trade. This was not the case. Several Provisional Orders had been granted in past years, embodying almost identical provisions to those contained in this Order. Provisional Orders of this kind had been granted to the pilotage authorities of Bristol, the Clyde, the Humber, Swansea, and Newcastle; and therefore his noble Friend would see that the Board of Trade had not in any way adopted a new principle in granting this Order. The noble Lord said that the object of the shipowners was to introduce electioneering into the constitution of those pilotage authorities and also to reduce the rate now paid to the pilots on the river. The present composition of the pilotage authority was four Brethren of the Trinity House; and it was proposed by this Order to add to that authority one shipowner and one pilot. It was difficult in those circumstances to imagine how the addition of one shipowner and one pilot was likely permanently to reduce the rates now paid. No doubt considerable pressure had been brought to bear on the Board of Trade by the shipowners for many years, to enable them to obtain some kind of representation on the pilotage authority. In view of the fact that pilotage was compulsory above Gravesend, and that the shipowners paid the dues, the demand was not altogether unreasonable. He hoped their Lordships would grant the Order a Second Reading, and allow any questions connected with the election of the pilots to be discussed when it went before the Select Committee.