HC Deb 29 June 1920 vol 131 cc345-7

  1. (1) Notwithstanding anything in this Act contained all gas supplied to the premises 346 of a railway company shall, except in case of accident or emergency, be supplied at such minimum pressure as will balance a column of water not less than twenty-tenths of an inch in height at the inlet of the primary meter or meters registering the supply to the railway company. Provided that if at any time the undertakers shall supply gas of a less calorific value than 500 British thermal units gross such pressure shall be so increased that the product of the multiplication of the number of thermal units by the number of tenths of an inch pressure as so increased shall at no time be less than 10,000.
  2. (2) Any gas examiner appointed under this Act may and shall for the purposes of this section at the inlet of the said meter or meters, at the request of the railway company concerned, test the pressure at which the gas is supplied, and the undertakers shall afford all reasonable facilities for making such test or tests.
  3. (3) Any alteration, adjustment or replacement of the burners, pipes and appliances of a railway company that may be necessary in consequence of the declared calorific value differing from the calorific value of the gas as authorised at the date of the Order under this Act, or where an illuminating standard is in force from the calorific equivalent of such illuminating standard, or in consequence of any subsequent alteration in the declared calorific value may be made by the railway company, and the undertakers shall repay to the railway company the reasonable cost of such alteration, adjustment, or replacement.—[Sir F. Banbury.]

Brought up, and read the First time.

Sir F. BANBURY

I beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."

I understand from my hon. Friend (Mr. Bridgeman) that he is not prepared to accept my new Clause, but that he proposes to move two Amendments which he has shown to me, and, if that is so, I shall not press my new Clause.

Mr. BRIDGEMAN

I am obliged to my right hon. Friend for having agreed to the course which I suggest. We propose to move two Amendments which, I think, will meet his point. We quite realise that certain people, not railway companies alone, but other people as well, have certain obligations and duties in the safety of which the public is concerned. I hope that the Amendments which I shall propose will satisfy him.

Sir F. BANBURY

In the circumstances, I ask leave to withdraw the Clause.

Motion and Clause, by leave, withdrawn.