§ Sir Robert Peelwished to ask the right hon. Gentleman, the President of the Board of Trade, on what day he thought it probable that the bill for the regulation of railways (the report on which stood for consideration to-night) would really be brought again under discussion?
§ Mr. Laboucheresaid, it was not his intention to bring on the subject that night, but he should hope to be able to do so that day week. He could not, however, positively mention the day now.
§ Sir Robert Peelobserved, that the bill was one of very great importance, as it proposed to give extended powers to the Board of Trade, for the regulation of railways. Strong apprehensions were entertained by many persons who were largely interested in railroads respecting the extent of those powers. He himself was very desirous that the bill should be passed into a law with all convenient speed, consistently with that caution and deliberation which the public interests required. A petition had been intrusted to him from parties who were apprehensive, that the powers proposed to be conferred on the Board of Trade, particularly by the 11th clause of the bill, would injuriously affect their interests. They were opposed to that clause on two grounds—first, because the powers to be given to the commissioners were vague and indefinite, and next, that they had a tendency to divide the responsibility between the directors of the railway companies and the Board of Trade. He was afraid, that if the bill should be read a second time, and then be referred to a select committee at some distant day, it would greatly impede its progress, he had, therefore, been requested to ask the right hon. Gentleman to consider, whether it were not possible to appoint, in the interval between the second reading, the bill being committed generally, and without causing any delay, a select committee, to whom the single question involved in the 11th clause might be referred, in order that they might consider whether it were possible to give some certain definition of the powers to be vested in the Board of Trade. This would afford the parties whose interests he now represented an opportunity to state their case, and to explain the grounds of their apprehensions as to the extensive nature of the powers which the bill, as it at present stood, would confer on the commissioners. The appointment of such a committee for such a purpose would preclude any protracted delay in the proceedings, while at the same time it would be permitting those parties, who upon the whole had invested upwards of sixty millions sterling in railways, to state their case, and to hear the case on the other side. 1348 He thought, if the right hon. Gentleman would take some such course, it would be quite satisfactory to persons engaged in these great and extensive undertakings.
§ Mr. Laboucherewould be very unwilling to give his consent to any measure which would occasion delay in the progress of the bill, at the same time he was anxious that the point referred to by the right hon. Baronet should be fully discussed, though he must say, that considering the very ample information already before the House upon the subject, and the additional information which he had this very day laid upon the Table of the House, it was with a very great deal of unwillingness that he listened to a proposal for any further delay. If, however, he could be satisfied, that it was possible to refer the bill to a committee for really considering the point mentioned by the right hon. Baronet, and not for the purpose of delay, he should be sorry to throw any obstacle in the way of such a course. He would consider the whole subject between this and Monday, and he should then be prepared to state what course he would adopt.
§ Sir Robert Peelwould not countenance any step that had for its object the impeding of the progress of the bill. He should be opposed to any unnecessary delay, and if he saw any tendency in the proposal he had been requested to make, on behalf of those interested in railways, to delay the measure, he would withdraw from all participation in the matter.