§ MR. BRYCE (Aberdeen, S.)I beg to ask the President of the Hoard of Trade whether, in case His Majesty's Government propose the appointment of a Committee to consider, in conjunction with a Committee of the other House, the best lines of route for underground railways in London, it will be proposed that all Bills for underground railways introduced in the present session shall be referred to such a Committee and 381 whether, in the case of the appointment of such a Committee, His Majesty's Government will consider the desirability of letting the reference to it be sufficiently wide to allow the Committee to report upon the whole question of so arranging and connecting underground lines as to enable such lines to afford the maximum of relief to surface traffic, and to secure rapid, transit from the central parts of London to the suburbs.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralYes, Sir, I hope that the reference to the Committee will be so framed as to ensure that all the Bills of this session dealing with underground railways in London shall be laid before it, and also that the Committee shall be invited to report whether the lines of route proposed are best calculated to afford facilities for present and probable future traffic, and, if not, what modifications of those lines of route are desirable.