TURNPIKE TRUSTS (SOUTH WALES). (Hansard, 24 July 1844)

Mr. J. H. Vivian

said, he quite agreed with the general principle of the Bill, but it appeared to him that this was a great experiment to be applied to South Wales for the benefit of the whole kingdom at large. The Government ought to give power, if this measure should not succeed to the extent they calculated upon, to go one step further. He thought the great benefit that was to be derived from this measure was in effecting a saving of about 25 per cent. on the amount of taxes to be levied upon the public. One great objection which was entertained against this proposition was, that a great outlay of money would be incurred in the outset for erecting new toll-houses and new toll-gates at the distances which were proposed—being seven miles. He was afraid that this was likely to give rise to great dissatisfaction, for many parties would then be liable to toll who were now free. He moved, That it be an Instruction to the Committee 1332 that they have power to include highways and county bridges within the provisions of the Bill.

§ Sir J. Graham

said, that no doubt this Bill, as it stood, was a tolerably large experiment, and he was not at present willing to extend its provisions or to go the whole length of saying that the stranger or the traveller should be exempted from contributing to the rates, still less was he disposed to embarrass this measure by extending it to highways. He hoped that this measure would be maturely considered in detail in Committee—it rested upon the Report of the Commission which was appointed to inquire into the subject, and many most useful and important suggestions which had been made on the subject had been considered and acted upon. He hoped that the House would consent to go into Committee, and then discuss the measure in detail, when every suggestion that could be made for the benefit of these counties would, if approved of, be introduced into the Bill. As far as he was concerned, he was anxious to give the details every consideration. Every argument that hon. Members thought necessary to bring forward could then be more properly made than at the present moment when he objected to enter upon this preliminary discussion.