MR. BUCKLEYasked the President of the Board of Trade, At whose instance, and under what circumstances, 1852 Colonel Yolland, Inspecting Officer of the Board of Trade, has been ordered to make a Report on the South Yorkshire Coal Owners' Railway, pending inquiry into the merits of the undertaking by a Committee of this House?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUEsaid, in reply, that the Report referred to by the hon. Gentleman had been made under his (Mr. Chichester Fortescue's) authority, in consequence of information he received from Colonel Yolland, and he was not aware that, in directing it to be made, he had exceeded either his powers or his duties. It was usual to supply the House and its Committees with Reports upon any question of public interest arising out of a proposed Railway Bill, and it was in accordance with that custom that this Report was made; but the greater part of the Report, and very nearly the whole, was also made in obedience to the positive Standing Orders of the House. Reports must be made in all cases in which a proposed railway crosses a road on the level; and this particular case was special and peculiar, because it was proposed not only that the proposed railway should cross a number of roads on the level, but also that it should cross other railways on the level; and though this particular kind of level crossing is not literally included within the Standing Orders, it is obviously within their spirit, because it is much more dangerous. He thought it was his duty to inform the Committee of the existence of these proposals in the Railway Bill in question, although the case did not come literally within the terms of the Standing Orders; and he had been in communication with the Chairman of the Committee, who entirely concurred with him as to the propriety of the opinion on which he acted.