§ MR. PIRIE (Aberdeen, N.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the effect of the decision of the House of Lords in "Manchester Railway Company v. Brown" upon the provisions of the seventh Section of The Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1854, which enacts that every railway company shall be liable for the loss or injury to goods occasioned by the neglect of such company, and that every condition made by a railway company contrary thereto shall be null and void; and, if so, in view of the losses which traders are suffering as the result of this decision, will he state whether the Government contemplate legislation in the matter.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralIf the case to which the hon. 1182 Member refers is that of "Brown v. the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Company," I would point out that the decision of the House of Lords thereon was given more than twenty years ago. The Legislature has expressly provided by the Act mentioned that it shall be for the Court to determine the reasonableness of the conditions of contracts modifying the-liability otherwise imposed upon Railway Companies by Section 7 of that Act, and the Government do not contemplate amending legislation.
§ MR. PIRIEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the President of the Board of Agriculture recently promised a deputation that he would look into the matter with a view to rectifying the grievance?
§ [No answer was returned.]