§ MR. P. STANHOPE (Wednesbury)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will exercise the powers conferred upon the Board of Trade by "The Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888," and grant a reasonable extension of the time for the lodging of any objections to the revised classifications and revised schedules of maximum tolls and rates, required by that Act to be deposited with the Board of Trade, as, otherwise, owing to the fact that the period within which canal proprietors were required by the Act to deposit their revised schedules has been so frequently extended (the total extension of time being three years), and that several of the revised schedules were deposited many months ago, persons interested in these 1066 schedules, and desirous of opposing them, may be debarred from doing so, in consequence of their having failed to lodge their objections with the Board of Trade within the eight weeks after the advertisement of the deposit of the revised schedules allowed by the rules of the Board; and whether it is the intention of the Board of Trade to place on sale the list of canals and navigations in respect of which revised schedules have been deposited, which was laid upon the Table of the House on the 11th instant, and to hold a public inquiry in regard to these schedules in the course of the present Session, similar to that held in 1889–90 with reference to the revision of Railway Companies' powers?
§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS BEACHYes, Sir. Having regard to the facts stated in the first paragraph of the hon. Member's question, I am of opinion that it is reasonable that the time for lodging objections to the canal schedules deposited with the Board of Trade before the present year should be extended, and that the time for lodging objections to all the schedules should expire on the same date. Consequently, I have given directions for the issue of a rule extending the time for lodging objections to all the canal schedules to the 30th April next; and I hope that if, as will probably be the case, it is found necessary to hold an inquiry with reference to those objections, the inquiry may be begun on Monday, 9th May. The list referred to by the hon. Member has been presented by command, and can be purchased in the usual way.