HC Deb 17 July 1845 vol 82 cc620-1
Mr. Milner Gibson

begged to call the attention of the right hon. the Vice President of the Board of Trade to a Clause of an unprecedented nature which had been introduced into the Manchester and Liverpool Railroad Bill, which gave to the proprietors the power of amalgamating with other companies without any further application to Parliament. A similar clause had found its way into certain other Bills. He wished to ask whether Her Majesty's Government were prepared to introduce a Bill for the purpose of repealing that and similar clauses.

Sir G. Clerk

said, the subject was one of great importance, and the clause was totally without precedent. It was calculated to establish a monopoly which might be very inconvenient to the public. It would be recollected that the clause passed through the House without resistance; and, as it was not touched by any of the Lords' Amendments, he could not get rid of it without throwing the Bill out altogether. The Report of the Board of Trade had recommended the House to take care that no Railway Bill should give any such power of transfer. The only way to meet the case would be to bring in a Bill to declare, that notwithstanding the indefinite powers granted in several Railway Bills to lease or transfer their railways, it should not be lawful to do so unless the Bill under which the parties acted contained a clause specifying the parties authorized to make such transfer, and the companies to whom it was to be made. In future, the Committee should have the proposition before them, stating the lines that were intended to be amalgamated. If it met with the general approval of the House, he was prepared to bring in a Bill of that nature.

Mr. Brotherton

thought that it would have been a great hardship and injustice to throw out the Bill on account of the introduction of the objectionable clause; but he was glad to hear that the right hon. Gentleman proposed to bring in a Bill to prevent the injurious consequences which might result from that clause; and he hoped that the Standing Orders would be suspended to allow of the speedy passing of such a Bill.

Subject at an end.