§ (Mr. William Henry Smith, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer.)
§ THIRD READING.
§ Order for Third Beading read.
§ MR. BOORDcomplained of the large sum the Metropolitan Board were about 524 to pay for the rights of the lord of the manor over Bostol Heath. He did not object to the purchase itself—it would be clearly advantageous to the inhabitants of the district—nor to a fair amount being paid for the rights of the lords; but the sum proposed (£5,500) was greatly in excess of their value—he believed it was even beyond the freehold value of the land. What he wanted to know was, how this sum was arrived at? He understood it was the result of a private arrangement between the Metropolitan Board and the solicitors of the lords of the manor; and, if that were so, it seemed to be a less satisfactory mode of procedure than that provided by the Lands Clauses Consolidation Act of 1845. It might be said that the Board had acted with the view of saving the cost of litigation; but he thought that if the assessment had been left to arbitration or a jury, as provided by the Act referred to, a far less sum would have been awarded, and the total cost to the ratepayers would have been much less than now proposed.
§ SIR JAMES M'GAREL-HOGGdefended the action of the Metropolitan Board, and asserted that what they had done had been solely in the interest of the ratepayers, and with the view of saving the cost of unnecessary opposition. They had a further similar arrangement in progress for the purchase of the lords' rights over Plum-stead Common, in which his hon. Friend also took an interest.
§ Bill read the third time, and passed.