§ Returned from the Commons with several of the Amendments agreed to, one other agreed to with Amendments, and one other disagreed to with a Reason for such disagreement.
§ THE EARL OF GRANARDThe only Amendment of any substance in the Pilotage Bill is the one which was inserted by your Lordships on the motion of Lord St. Aldwyn. The substituted Amendment now suggested by the House of Commons, I understand, meets his view; and in these circumstances I venture to ask your Lordships to proceed with the Bill to-day.
§ Moved, That the Commons Amendments to the Lords Amendment and Commons Reason for disagreeing to one of the Lords Amendments be now considered.—(The Earl of Granard.)
1498THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNMy Lords, we have only heard the Message from the House of Commons react, and we have not the Amendments before us and are quite unable at the present time to appreciate them. Surely as the House is to meet to-morrow these Amendments can be considered then.
§ THE EARL OF GRANARDThe only point is this. In the Bill as it came to your Lordships' House the Board of Trade were given power to provide that pilotage should be compulsory in any area where it had previously not been compulsory. Lord St. Aldwyn submitted, and I think quite rightly, that the provision should also include power to make pilotage non-compulsory in any area where it had been compulsory, if there was a strong local feeling in favour of that course being taken. Lord St. Aldwyn carried his Amendment in your Lordships' House making this change in the Bill, and His Majesty's Government now propose a substituted Amendment which I understand meets Lord St. Aldwvn's views. It runs as follows—
Or provide in connection with any rearrangement of a pilotage district that pilotage shall be non-compulsory in any area where it has been compulsory, subject to provisions being also made for the payment of compensation to the pilots concerned for any lose or damage which may be incurred by them in consequence of such re-arrangement.I think those words, as I have already explained to the House, meet the views of Lord St. Aldwyn, and I understand that he agrees to the Commons Amendment.
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEI am quite ready to take it from the noble Earl that the point is really not one of a very contentious description, but as it affects an Amendment which was introduced into the Bill by Lord St. Aldwyn, who is not now in the House and who presumably takes sonic interest in the fate of the Amendment, I cannot help thinking that it might be better that we should take this Bill to-morrow with the others unless there is some urgent reason for taking it immediately.
§ THE EARL OF GRANARDI will put the Bill down for to-morrow.
§ The said Amendments and Reason to be printed, and to be considered To-morrow. (No. 224.)