Merchant Shipping Act 1894

585 Returns by pilotage authorities to Board of Trade.

(1) Every pilotage authority shall deliver periodically to the Board of Trade, in the form and at the time required by that Board, returns of the following particulars with regard to pilotage within their district:—

(a) All byelaws or other regulations whether made under this-Act or not relating to pilots or pilotage for the time being in force:

(b) The names and ages of all pilots or apprentices licensed or authorised to act by the authority making the return, and of all pilots or apprentices acting either directly or indirectly under that authority, whether so licensed or authorised or not:

(c) The service for which each pilot or apprentice is licensed:

(d) The rates of pilotage for the time being in force, including therein the rates and descriptions of all charges upon shipping made for or in respect of pilots or pilotage:

(e) The total amount received for pilotage, distinguishing the several amounts received from British ships and from foreign ships respectively, and the several amounts received in respect of different classes of ships paying different rates of pilotage, according to the scale of those rates for the time being in force, and the several amounts received for the several classes of service rendered by pilots; and also the amount paid by such ships (if any) as have, before reaching the outer limits of pilotage water if outward bound, or their port of destination if inward bound, to take or pay for two or more pilots, whether " licensed by the same or by different pilotage authorities; together with the numbers of the ships of each of the several classes paying such several amounts as aforesaid:

(f) The receipt and expenditure of all moneys received by or on behalf of the authority making the return, or by or on behalf of any sub-commissioners appointed by them, in respect of pilots or pilotage :

(g) The receipts and expenditure, under separate accounts, in respect of any pension or superannuation funds administered by or under the control of the authority making the return.

(2) Every pilotage authority shall allow the Board of Trade, or any person appointed by the Board of Trade for the purpose, to inspect any books or documents in the possession of that authority relating to any matter in respect of which a return is required under this section.

(3) The Board shall cause any returns made to them under this section to be laid before both Houses of Parliament without delay.

(4) If any pilotage authority (other than the Trinity House, or sub-commissioners of pilotage appointed by them under this Part of this Act) fail, without reasonable cause, to deliver to the Board of Trade any return required under this section within one year after the time fixed by the Board of Trade for the purpose, or fail without reasonable cause to comply with the requirements of this section with regard to the inspection of books and documents, Her Majesty may, by Order in Council, direct that all the rights and powers of that authority in respect of pilotage shall cease or be suspended during such time as Her Majesty directs, and thereupon the Trinity House shall thereafter, or during the time for which the suspension continues, have the same powers of appointing sub-commissioners of pilotage, and of licensing pilots, and of establishing and altering rates of pilotage within the district of the authority making default, as the Trinity House are by this Act authorised to exercise in a district within which no particular provision for the appointment of pilots is made by any Act of Parliament or charter, and shall also during that time have the same rights, title, and powers to and in respect of any pilotage funds or ether pilotage property which the pilotage authority making default would or might have had if the rights and powers of that authority had not ceased or been suspended.