§ Mr. SWIFT MacNEILLasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that there is no provision in the several Acts authorising the construction and working of the Metropolitan District Railway and the London Underground Railways enabling those companies to run omnibuses in connection with their undertakings; and, in view of that fact that railway companies are not entitled to run omnibuses without express power to that effect, whether his attention has been called to a proposed agreement between the London General Omnibus Company and the Metropolitan and Underground Railways, whereby these railway companies propose to run and control omnibuses; and whether this House will have an opportunity of considering whether such agreement is in accordance with the public interest, or will his Department take steps to ensure that these railway companies shall not exercise powers in excess of those given to them by Parliament?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of TRADE (Mr. Buxton)Both the Metropolitan, District, and London Electric railway companies have certain powers of 15 running omnibuses for the use of their own passengers. As I understand it, the agreement referred to is one between a limited company which holds a large proportion of the capital of the two railway companies mentioned and the London General Omnibus Company. Under this agreement the limited company acquires the control of the omnibus company, but the omnibuses will continue to be run by the latter company and not by the railway companies themselves. No statutory sanction to such an arrangement would seem to be required.