§ MR. STEADMAN (Tower Hamlets, Stepney)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether there is any legislative regulation or restriction in regard to the use of and supply by the London gas companies of carburetted water gas; whether he is aware that in 1898 a departmental committee appointed by the Board of Trade recommended that the admixture of water gas with ordinary coal gas should be limited to 12 per cent.; and that by a Parliamentary Return in the same year, it was shown that some of the London companies were even then using considerably over double that proportion; and whether, in view of the fact that there is reason to believe the amount has since been largely increased, and that water gas is four times as poisonous as coal gas, and cannot be detected by its odour, he will consider the advisability of taking steps to initiate legislation on the subject as has long been urged by medical and sanitary authorities, and by some means acquaint the public with the fact that they are being supplied with a poisonous article in 1297 the name of ordinary gas, so that due care may be taken in its general use.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. RITCHIE, Croydon)The hon. Member must not assume that I admit to the full the accuracy of all the statements contained in the question, some of which might be made the subject of argument and controversy; but the answer to the first paragraph is in the negative, and with regard to legislation I can merely say that if undertaken it should be general in its character and not confined to London. In any general legislation my right hon. friends the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the President of the Local Government Board would probably have a larger interest than the Board of Trade, and I cannot make any promise on the subject at this period of the session.