SCHEDULES. (Hansard, 9 May 1882)

§ MR. H. DAVEY
said, that, before the Committee proceeded to consider the Schedules attached to the Bill, he wished to call attention to the fact that a Royal Commission had been appointed some time ago, on the Motion of the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Charles W. Dilke), to inquire into the state and condition of certain unreformed Corporations. That Commission had recommended that certain boroughs—10 in number—should be placed in the same position as the boroughs included in Schedule B of the Municipal Corporations Act; but he could not ascertain that anything had been done to give effect to the recommendation of the 360 Commission. He would, therefore, propose to insert certain new clauses.

THE CHAIRMAN
Has the hon. and learned Member got the clauses which he proposes to insert?

§ MR. H. DAVEY
said, he was not prepared at that moment to submit them; but, if necessary, he would bring them up on the Report.

THE CHAIRMAN
It will be necessary for the hon. and learned Member to submit any new clauses he desires to propose in due form.

§ MR. H. DAVEY
said, he would postpone the matter until the Report.

§ MR. HIBBERT
thought he could satisfy his hon. and learned Friend that it would not be necessary to introduce these clauses. His right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sir William Harcourt) had a Bill already prepared by which he proposed to deal with the unreformed Corporations, and that Bill would be introduced on an early day, as soon as the opportunity was afforded. He was not able to say precisely when the Bill would be brought in; but they would deal with the question to which the clauses suggested by his hon. and learned Friend related; and if his hon. and learned Friend were now to submit his clauses, he should, under the circumstances, be compelled to oppose their introduction into the present Bill.

§ MR. H. DAVEY
remarked, that, as a Bill had been prepared to give effect to the recommendations of the Commission, he should not deem it necessary to propose the clauses which he should otherwise have submitted.

§ MR. H. H. FOWLER
said, he had given Notice of three Amendments in this Schedule—first, to omit Rule 2, which provided that no notice need be given of the business to be transacted at the quarterly meetings; secondly, to omit, in Rule 8, the reference to quarterly meetings; and, thirdly, to omit from Rule 7, which required that in every case, including the case of an adjourned quarterly meeting, but not including the case of an ordinary quarterly meeting, a summons to attend the meeting, specifying the business proposed to be transacted, and signed by the Town Clerk, should be left at, or sent by post 361 in a registered letter, to the usual place of abode of every member of the Council, or at or to his qualifying property three clear days at least before the meeting—to omit from this Rule the words "or at or to his qualifying property." He did not propose to move the first two of the Amendments standing in his name, as he believed his hon. Friend the Secretary to the Local Government Board was not prepared to accept them. He would, however, move the third, which his hon. Friend was prepared to accept.

§ MR. HIBBERT
intimated that he accepted the Amendment.