§ MR. LEA (St. Pancras, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is proposed to retain the additional half-crown charge recently imposed in respect to cabmen's licences in London; if so, whether he will say why this fresh charge was imposed; and, if it is proposed to retain it, to what purposes it is intended to be put.
§ MR. HERBERT GLADSTONEWith regard to this matter, I must first observe that it was never intended to make any additional charge for a cabman's licence, but only to require a deposit of 2s. 6d. for the badge, which would be paid once only and returned when the badge was given up. I propose to ask the House to appoint a Select Committee to consider this and certain other difficulties which have arisen in connection with the recent Metropolitan Public Carriage Order, together with other matters affecting cabs and omnibuses in the metropolis. In the meantime, I have made an Order suspending the operation of those of the regulations to which objection has been raised.