§ MR. SHAW LEFEVRE, in rising to ask leave to bring in a Bill to amend the law with respect to the use of locomotives on highways, explained that the Bill only contained one clause, and was not, he hoped, of a controversial nature. Its object was to exempt carriages propelled by other than horsepower from the regulations of the Locomotives Act in cases where they were not used for traction purposes. Hon. Members who had recently visited Paris would have observed that there were a not inconsiderable number of carriages propelled by petroleum, gasolene, steam, and, in some cases, by electricity. In a trial run between Paris and Bordeaux a carriage propelled by petroleum won, having travelled at a rate of 15 miles an hour. These carriages were completely under command, and horses were not frightened by them any more than by the ordinary traffic. The use of these carriages was practically prohibited in this country by the regulations of the Locomotives Act, which was passed with the object of applying mainly to engines used for traction purposes. Under the provisions of that Act, it was necessary that every such locomotive should be in charge of three persons at least—one walking in front, one behind, and one driving; and the engines could not proceed at a 1274 greater speed than four miles in the country and two miles in a town, and were also subject to a licence of £10 each for every county where they were used. These regulations were totally inapplicable to the light carriages such as he had described as in use in Paris. Under the circumstances, it appeared to him to be reasonable that the House should exempt carriages of that kind from the provisions of the Locomotives Act. They would be subject to the ordinary regulations of other carriages, or to any other regulations that the House might think fit to be made by the Local Government Board. He thought that the regulations should be made by that or some other central authority rather than by some local authority, because the necessity for uniformity was so great that it would not, he thought, be well to make these vehicles liable to different regulations by every county. He had hoped to carry the Bill further, and had been in correspondence with the County Councils Association for this purpose; but that Association desired further time to consult the Local Authorities on the subject. He had, therefore, been compelled to postpone the further scope of the measure, and to limit it to the one purpose which he had described.
§ MR. ARTHUR JEFFREYS (Hants, Basingstoke)inquired whether these carriages would pay the usual locomotive tax.
§ MR. SHAW LEFEVREreplied that they would not. It was proposed to exempt them from that tax, but to make them pay in the way that ordinary carriages now pay.
§ COLONEL KENYON-SLANEY (Shropshire, Newport)asked what limit of weight the right hon. Gentleman proposed to fix for these vehicles.
§ MR. SHAW LEFEVREsaid, that he had put a limit of two tons.
§ Leave given; Bill presented accordingly, and read 1° to be read 2° upon Monday next, and to be printed. [Bill 315.]