MR. CARTERsaid, he wished to ask the Vice President of the Board of Trade, Whether Her Majesty's Government in withdrawing from the Railways' Regulation Bill the Clauses they had inserted in it for amending, in certain respects, the General Carriers' Act, were satisfied that the provisions of that Act, passed nearly forty years since, are suitable to the requirements of the present day; or whether the Government still remain of opinion that the Carriers' Act requires amendment, and ought to be revised by Parliament?
§ MR. STEPHEN CAVEsaid, in reply, that the Board of Trade had given great consideration to the question, and had come to the conclusion that the Carriers Act, passed in 1830, was unsuited to the existing state of things, especially in regard to 2132 railways; but, nevertheless, their experience had shown that the points in which the Act required to be amended were so much disputed, that any attempt at legislation without previous inquiry seemed to be quite hopeless. It was very evident that such an inquiry could not take place during the present Session; but he hoped that a Select Committee would be appointed early in the ensuing year for the purpose of reviewing the provisions of the Carriers' Act, with a view to bringing them more into conformity with the requirements of the present day.