The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-05 00:00:00

STANDING ORDERS ON RAILWAYS.

M. W. GLADSTONE rose to move :—That a
Select Committee be appointed, to consider the
standing orders relating to Railways, and whether
any and what chapges onght to be made
in those Standing Orders ; and likewise to con-
sider whether auy and what new provisions ought to be
introduced into such railway Bills as may come before
the House during the present or future sessions, for the
advantage of the public and the improvement of the rail-
way system, and to report their opinion thereon to the
House." The Right Hon. Gentleman said as this im-
portant subject—the subject of railways—was one
which had on several occasions been the subject of
inquiry, and as the several Select Committees
which had sat to investigate it, had left their
examination incomplete ; he should be very brief
with the statement which he had now to make
to the House. He would, however, very briefly inti-
mate to the House what were the immediate occasions
out of which the proposal which he had now to make
had grown. In the first place it appeared to the Go-
vernment that the time bad come when it might be ad-
vantageously considered whether, after the operation and
the experience of severalyears, some modification might not
properly be introduced in the standing orders relating
to railways. There was one of those standing orders,
for example, which required of all parties seeking to
obtain a Bill from the House of Commons that they
should have 10 per cent. of the whole capital to be de-
posited before theL could succeed in their object. An
opinion had been extensively entertained that there
would be no disadvantage in reducing the proportion
of capital so required as a deposit 1 but there was
no necessity for locking up at so early a period, and for
such a length of time, so considerable a portion of the
capital of the Company. There was already a Standing
Order in the House of Lords limiting the amount to
5 per cent. There was another Standing Order re-
lating to level-crossings, in which it was also
proposed to make some alteration. .He would
not detain the House, by dwelling further upon
the Standing Orders; but, over and above the pre-
sent question, the House would no doubt be aware that
the present was a great era in railways. Great spe-
culations had taken place with respect to them, but
those speculations seemed to have been done away with.
During the last two or three years, the specula-
tions in railways had considerably diminished ; but
in the present session he understood that no less than
sixty-six Bills were to be applied for, including upwards
of 900 miles, while the present extent of railway ex-
ceeded 2,000 miles.—(Hear, hear.) It had, therefore,
appeared to the Government that this was the fitting
opportunity to investigate the subject. The propo-
sal he had to make, comprised those companies
coming before Parliament of their own accord. Ile had
divided them into two classes, those Companies coming
before the House for new powers, and new Companies
altogether, who were anxious to create new lines
joining to the old. He proposed to take this matter
into consideration at the earliest opportunity, not in any
unfriendly feeling towards those bodies, but still in that
spirit which would be compatable with the interests of
the public. There were many of those Companies who
sought from the House new towers, and in return for
those the thought some equivalent should be rer.