§ SIR THOMAS DEWAR (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)To ask the Secretary to the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to a recent action against the Corporation of Manchester in which the plaintiffs succeeded in recovering damages for losses sustained through a fire caused by an explosion in one of the corporation's electrical mains; and, seeing that the plaintiffs based their claim on the ground that the linking-up system laid down in the streets of Manchester causes a difficulty in localising leakage and constituted a public danger, will he state whether this system is generally adopted in London, and whether any improved system has received the consideration of the Board of Trade.
(Answered by Mr. Bonar Law.) Yes, Sir, the attention of the Board of Trade has been called to the action referred to by the hon. Member. An improved system in which the mains are separated into sections connected by suitable fuses, and whereby the difficulty in localising leakage and consequent risk are much reduced, has received the consideration of the Board of Trade, and has been adopted in all undertakings established during the last two years in London and elsewhere. I also understand that the improved system has been applied voluntarily to many existing undertakings in London.