§ MR. J. CUMMING MACDONA (Southwark, Rotherhithe)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board, whether he is aware that a petroleum motor, owned by the Hon. Evelyn Ellis, which won the first prize in the 791 recent horseless carriage race between Paris and Bordeaux, has since then travelled in this country from Micheldever to Datchet, a distance of 56 miles, in five and a-half hours, at a cost of one halfpenny-worth of petroleum per hour, carrying four persons all the time. And whether, in view of the fact that this new and cheap motor might be made use of by the farmers and others in bringing their produce to their markets at an extremely reduced rate, he will consider the desirability of repealing the Locomotive Act of 1865, so as to admit of petroleum and electric motors being more extensively used in our country?
§ MR. FLYNNsaid that, before the right hon. Gentleman answered the first part of that question, he should like to ask the ruling of the right hon. Gentleman in the Chair as to whether the rule of the House prevented the Order Book being made use of as an advertising medium.
§ * MR. SPEAKERI cannot see any objection to the question.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. HENRY CHAPLIN,) Lincolnshire, SleafordThe subject of motors for horseless carriages is one to which my attention has been drawn, and it is my intention to carefully consider it in connection with the Bill which was introduced last Session by my predecessor.