– in the House of Commons am ar 29 Mawrth 1939.
I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to restore to the London County Council power to provide a service of passenger vessels on the River Thames and for purposes connected therewith.
This is a matter of more importance than it seems to be on the surface; for it touches the efficiency and equipment of the Port of London not merely in times of peace, but in time of war. The Bill consists of one Clause only, the effect of which is to repeal Section 19 of the London Passenger Transport Act, 1933. I have some small title to make the suggestion embodied in the Bill, for it was through my own agitation, long before I became a Member of this House, that that Section was added to that Act. That Section transferred from the London County Council to the new Board the powers to utilise the River Thames for river passenger transport; and I propose that those powers should be restored to the London County Council.
There is also the highly important question of piers and landing stages. The position at the moment is that the London County Council may build a pier, but may not build or run a boat. Private persons, on the other hand, may run boats but not build piers, I understand. The Port of London Authority may build piers, but not run boats; and there we are—a very typical situation in this great country. Section 19 also laid upon the London Passenger Transport Board the general duty
to consider and take such steps as they may think fit, by virtue of the powers transferred to them, to utilise the River Thames for the purpose of passenger transport, whether by steamboats, motor boats or other vessels.
For one reason or another, good or bad, the Board has taken no such steps whatever—they have no money; they have a
great many things to do; and anyhow they are a landlubberly lot.