§ MR. ELLIS (Nottinghamshire, Rushcliffe)To ask the President of the Board of Trade what powers has the Board of Trade, with respect to sanction or amendment of such agreements for working as that proposed by the Great Northern and Great Central Railways, to safeguard the interests of the public and of the traders; whether it will be necessary to confirm that particular agreement by a Bill in Parliament; and what steps is the Board taking in the matter.
(Answered by Mr. Kearley.) The special Act of 1858, under which the agreement between the Great Northern and Great Central Railway Companies purports to be made, required that agreements under the Act should be approved by the Board of Trade, but the powers of the Board in regard to working agreements under special Acts were transferred to the Railway Commissioners (now the Railway and Canal Commission) by the Regulation of Railways Act, 1873. The agreement does not require confirmation 1004 by Parliament. The Board have lodged certain objections before the Commission, and the hearing has been fixed by the Commission for the 26th instant.