§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE moved that the Orders of the 4th of February last, and of the 31st of May last, which limits the time for the second reading of Private Bills, be dispensed with in respect to the Blackburn and Over-Darwen Tramways Bill; Glyn Valley Tramway Bill; Belfast Street Tramways Bill; Aberdeen District Tramways Bill; Boston District Tramways Bill; and Wallasey Tramways Bill; in order that the Bills be now read a second time. The noble Earl said, that a Select Committee had been appointed in the other House to inquire into the use of steam and mechanical power on Tramways, and these Bills had been kept back pending the Report of that Committee. The Report had now been made, and therefore it was not unreasonable that these Bills should, under the circumstances of the case, be allowed to proceed.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Orders of February 4 and May 31 dispensed with.
§ Moved, "That the said Bills be now read 2a."—(The Earl of Redesdale.)
§ Motion agreed to; Bills read 2a accordingly.
204THE DUKE of RICHMOND AND GORDONsaid, it was very desirable, before their Lordships proceeded further with the consideration of these Bills, that the evidence should be before them which had been given in the Committee appointed by the other House. He, therefore, begged to move that a Message be sent to the other House of Parliament, asking them to furnish the House with the Evidence and Report of the Committee in question. It was necessary their Lordships should have the evidence before them; because these Bills, for the first time, raised a very important question—that of applying mechanical and steam power to tramways. They were Private Bills, and they proposed to enable the promoters to use steam on tramways, and the only power which was called into existence in the matter was the local authority of the place. These authorities might, where the tramway existed, or was to be hereafter made, use steam instead of horse power. Now, that was a very considerable alteration of the existing law, and the subject was one well worthy of their Lordships' attention. At all events, such a power ought not to be given without due consideration. He was far from saying these Bills ought not to pass, but he did think the subject was worthy of further consideration. In some of the towns it was believed that a nuisance would be created were the use of steam power to be permitted; and, therefore, it was quite apparent that it was a matter which ought to be thoroughly sifted. Since the Committee of the other House had reported, he understood the question had been adjudicated upon by one of the Courts of Law. In Swansea there was only power to use the tramways with horses; but the Tramway Company put on steam power, upon which an injunction was applied for to restrain them from committing a nuisance; and, he believed, though he had not seen the terms of the judgment, that it had been decided that a nuisance had been committed by the Company, and they had been restrained from the further use of steam power. He was told that one of the streets where the tramway was laid down, and where the steam power had been working, had only an available space of seven feet over and above the tramway; and that, their Lordships must admit, was a 205 very narrow space in which to carry on the traffic. He begged to move that a Message be sent to the other House for the Evidence and Report of the Tramways Committee.
§ Motion agreed to.