HC Deb 16 October 1902 vol 113 cc110-1

As amended, considered.

(10.20.) SIR J. DICKSON-POYNDER (Wiltshire, Chippenham) moved an Amendment to Clause 20, page 17, lines 20 and 21, to leave out "after twelve o'clock noon." This applied to workmen's return tickets, and there was only one other line in London which had this limit to the use of workmen's return tickets for the return journey. He believed the promoters of the Bill were quite prepared to accept the Amendment.

* MR. PERKS (Lincolnshire, Louth)

said that the object of the Amendment was to enable working men to return home before twelve o'clock in the day, instead of having to wait after that hour. The promoters of the Bill thought that was a reasonable condition, although it did not apply to all the Tube Railways at present authorised. He believed the District Railway had always allowed bonâfide working men to pass the barrier before twelve o'clock; but the Clause was originally inserted to protect the Company against persons who were not working men, such as members of the Bar and other gentlemen travelling with workmen's tickets. As the legislature had not defined a "working man," there was no method of testing in a court of law who was and who was not a "working man," the promoters were, in the circumstances, perfectly prepared to accept a statutory obligation to do what, as a matter of fact, they had always tried to do when ever they recognised that a bonâfide working man was desirous to travel with his return ticket before noon;

The Amendment was agreed to, and the Bill ordered to be read a third time.