§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, having regard to the fact that Mr. Justice Collins and Mr. Justice Ridley recently ruled that a constable is not empowed to stop a cyclist riding at night without a light, will he state what steps he proposes to take with a view to the protection of the public against cyclists who infringe the law in this respect; and whether he will consider the expediency of arranging for the registration of cycles and the fixing of a number on a conspicuous part of the machine?
§ MR. T. SKEWES-COX (Surrey, Kingston)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the Judgment of Mr. Justice Collins and Mr. Justice Ridley in Hatton v. Treeby, whereby it would appear that the police have no power of stopping cyclists who contravene the law as to the carrying of lights after sunset; and what steps he proposes to take in regard thereto?
§ * THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOE THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEY,) Lancashire, BlackpoolThe Judgment referred to states no new view of the law, I believe, and the suggestion for the registration of bicycles is not, I think, a practicable one. I propose, however, to consider during the recess whether it would not 236 be desirable to amend the law in some way, as, for example, by extending generally the provision at present in force in the metropolis which gives a constable power to arrest a person riding to the common danger, and which would, I think, cover cases of this kind where actual danger is caused.