RAILWAY FIRES ACT 233 



the Council after some debate unanimously expressed its 

 satisfaction at the introduction of the measure, though its 

 provisions were somewhat criticised. Thus the late Mr. 

 Lloyd Wharton, M.P., said, " there was too much Board of 

 Trade in the Bill " ; while Colonel Le Roy-Lewis protested 

 against a charge of 3| per cent, interest for the Government 

 subvention when Consols were standing at 110. The Bill 

 received the Royal Assent on 14th August this year. 



Sparks from Railway Engines. 



From this date until February, 1904, this Committee held 

 no meetings, although it was re-elected in each year. In 

 1899, however, many complaints were made of losses by fires 

 caused by sparks from railway engines, and in 1900 a Bill 

 on this subject was drafted and ballotted for. The result 

 of the ballot was unfavourable, but on 8th May, 1900, Mr. 

 Jeffreys asked the First Lord of the Treasury " for facilities," 

 when the latter replied that there was a " curious discrepancy 

 between the law which applied to road locomotives and that 

 which applied to railway engines," adding that the Board of 

 Agriculture had " 110 detailed information as to the damage 

 done by sparks from railway engines." A mass of detailed 

 information was soon collected and sent on to that Depart- 

 ment. In 1901 the Bill got a place in the ballot, and was 

 introduced by Mr. Hudson (M.P. for North Herts) ; it was 

 read a second time by 307 votes to 80, and progress in Com- 

 mittee was reported, but the Government declined to find 

 time for its further progress. The chance of the ballot gave 

 no opportunity for this little measure until 1905, when 

 Mr. W. A. Mount (M.P. for Newbury) obtained a fairly good 

 place, and at the request of the Parliamentary Committee 

 introduced the Bill again. In the debate on second reading 

 the railway party intimated that they were willing to make a 

 compromise, and if it were accepted they would not further 

 oppose the Bill. As this was the only chance of getting it 

 through Parliament, this compromise was accepted, and the 

 Bill became The Railway Fires Act, 1905, in due course. It 

 was, of course, shorn of much of its usefulness, and its coming 



