PRIVATE BILLS 223 



replied that the Government already possessed sufficient 

 information to enable them to legislate, as soon as they could 

 find time to do so, on a question which they admitted to be 

 ripe for legislation. 



At the suggestion of their Committee, the Council objected 

 to any reference of these private Bills to a Commission, as 

 suggested by Mr. Chamberlain, and expressed the opinion 

 that negotiations should not be carried further until these 

 Bills had been either formally withdrawn or rejected by the 

 House of Commons. They were ultimately withdrawn. A 

 decision by a court of law,* on appeal from the Railway 

 Commission, however, upset previous decis ; ons on the ques- 

 tion of terminals, this seriously prejudicing the position of 

 traders generally, and conferring upon the companies most 

 of the powers which they had unsuccessfully endeavoured to 

 obtain from Parliament. 



In June, 1885, a new Government under Lord Salisbury 

 came into office, and Mr. Stanhope (President of the Board 

 of Trade) announced his intention to propose legislation on 

 railway questions ; the Chamber accordingly prepared to 

 lay their views before him by deputation. 



1886. 



In February, however, there was another change, Mr. 

 Mundella, under Mr. Gladstone, taking up this office. He 

 announced that owing to the preparations made by his pre- 

 decessor in office, he was in a position to submit to the House 

 of Commons, as a Government measure, a Bill to settle the 

 powers of the Railway Commission and other matters pending 

 between the companies and the public. This announcement 

 was made to the deputation from the various bodies which 

 had intended to wait upon Mr. Stanhope. 



This measure was introduced in the House of Commons 

 on 8th March. On 6th April the Council adopted, and sent 

 to the President of the Board of Trade, a detailed report, 

 pointing out the particulars in which they desired its amend- 



* Queen's Bench. Hall v. London, Brighton and South Coast 

 Railway. 



