§ [SECOND READING.]
§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ LORD CHARNWOODMy Lords, this Bill has passed through the House of Commons without opposition, having been backed both by Nationalist and by Unionist Members from Ireland. It deals with traction engines, and its object is to assimilate the law of Ireland to that which prevails in England and Scotland. It contains provisions empowering highway authorities to recover damages for injury done to roads by extraordinary traffic. There are also provisions as to the weight of traction engines and the construction of their wheels. Further, the Bill contains regulations as to the number of men who should attend upon traction engines; provisions as to the consumption of smoke and the prevention of sparks; and, finally, provisions enabling county authorities to make by-laws for licensing traction engines. Two slight Amendments were made in Standing Committee in the other House, which, on careful consideration, would seem to have been very ill-considered, and I understand that it is the intention of the Government to have those Amendments reversed in Committee in this House if your Lordships consent, as I venture to hope you will, to give the Bill a Second Reading.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.— (Lord Charnwood.)
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEMy Lords, I am very much in sympathy with what I understand to be the general object of the noble Lord's Bill. In fact, if he cared to call me as a witness I could mention from personal knowledge a case in which the public roads in a part of Ireland with which I am familiar were at one moment reduced to a state rendering ordinary traffic almost impossible, owing to the sudden introduction of extremely heavy motor tourist cars—vehicles of a weight altogether exceeding anything for the purpose of which the roads had originally been constructed. The case is one of great hardship, and I am glad to know that an attempt is being made to meet it.
§ LORD CHARNWOODI should be sorry to accept the noble Marquess's support under a misapprehension; but the Bill does not deal with motors at all.
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNESurely the first clause deals with a case 1102 where extraordinary expenses have become necessary for the purpose of repairing a road by reason of damage caused by excessive weight passing over it. That, I think, would cover the case to which I referred.
§ LORD CHARNWOODSubsection (1) of Clause 8 limits the expression "locomotive" so as not to include any light locomotive or motor car within the meaning of the Motor Car Acts, 1896 and 1903. Therefore to a large extent motors will be excluded from the operations of the Bill.
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEI trust that the noble Lord will not go on with his Bill until after the adjournment. In the meanwhile I shall have an opportunity of looking into the point. But I understood that the Bill was intended to meet the further case which I mentioned.
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.