§ MR. LIDDELLsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to move for the appointment of a Committee of Inquiry into the operation of the Highways Act, previous to introducing further legislation on the subject, or any amendments of the said Act?
§ SIR GEORGE GREY, in. reply, said, he thought an inquiry would be desirable before they attempted to make any ex- 787 tensive change in the law relating to Highways; but although the Act was in operation in a great many parts of the kingdom, yet it had not been so for a sufficiently long period to test its effects. He was, therefore, afraid that an inquiry by a Committee would necessarily be an imperfect one, owing to the want of experience of the working of the measure. He could not, therefore, propose a Committee of Inquiry in the present Session. The amended Bill, which he hoped to introduce, would not be an extensive measure, but only intended to remedy some defects found to exist in certain districts of the country, and which were said to interfere with the useful operation of the law.