§ MR. J. STUART (Shoreditch, Hoxton)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to a case, which is reported in The Standard newspaper of 31st January last as having been hoard in the Queen's Bench Division, in which a passenger sued the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway for 4s., being the sum charged in excess of the maximum authorised by the Company's Acts between Victoria and Calais on an ordinary first-class ticket, and in which the money was paid into Court by the Company; whether he can state what number of passengers travelled between Loudon and Calais by this route during the year 1893; whether he will take steps, under the provisions of 7 & 8 Vict., c. 85, s. 17, to prevent such overcharge in future; and what are the Acts under the provisions of which the Company's charges are made?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. MUNDELLA,) Sheffield, BrightsideI have seen a report of the case referred to by my hon. Friend. The Board of Trade are not in possession of the necessary information to enable me to reply to paragraphs 2 and 4 of the question. With regard to the legal pro- 861 ceedings, I am informed by the Railway Company that the ease is still subjudice, and it would appear From a newspaper report that the Court has made an Order which enables the plaintiff to obtain a decision by a more convenient method than that provided by 7 & 8 Vict. The powers of that Act should only be used in very exceptional circumstances.