AMALGAMATION OF TURNPIKE TRUSTS.

HC Deb 30 November 1847 vol 95 cc368-70

MR. FREWEN

, pursuant to notice, proposed the following resolution:— That, in order to facilitate the passing of Acts for the purpose of amalgamating turnpike trusts, this House will generally consent to suspend the Standing Orders during the present Session of Parliament in cases of Private Bills the object of which is to unite two or more turnpike trusts. That, on or before the last day of February, 1848, and one month before leave be given to bring in any Bill for the purpose of uniting turnpike trusts, the promoters of any such Bill shall be required to give notice, in the form prescribed by the Standing Orders, once in some newspaper published in the county, or, if there is none published in the county, then in a newspaper generally circulating in the county where the said turnpike roads are situated, of their intention to make such application to Parliament; and shall also serve, or cause to be served, on the clerk of each of the said turnpike trusts, a copy of the said notice; and there shall be a schedule attached to each Bill, stating whether the trustees of each trust assent to or dissent from (or otherwise as the case may be) such Bill. His object was to facilitate in every way the introduction of Private Bills for the amalgamation of turnpike trusts. The good which might be expected to result from adopting such a step was strongly evidenced in the case of the metropolitan roads. Since they had all been combined in one commission there had been a very great saving in expenditure; debts to the amount of 186,000l. had been paid off, the tolls had been reduced to one-fourth of what they were, and all the gates had been removed three miles from the metropolis. He thought if the principle were applied te a considerable extent throughout the country, the advantage would be very great. In the county of Leicester, with which he was connected, he might say that the feeling was almost universal that it should be carried out. The expenditure upon the turnpike trusts in that county this year was greater than the income; it was daily increasing, and he was anxious, therefore, that the same principle which had been applied to the metropolitan roads should be generally extended throughout the country. By adopting such a course he believed the expenses of trusts might be reduced at least one-half.

MR. STRUTT

said, the ultimate object which the hon. Gentleman had in view might be a very good one; but that did not appear to him to be the present question. The House of Commons had laid down certain Standing Orders to prescribe the course which parties applying for any Private Bill were bound to take. The subject of the notices which it was desirable to give, in order to protect private persons, especially came under the consideration of the House; and the resolutions which the House had adopted, and embodied in the Standing Orders upon that subject, had hitherto been invariably adhered to. The hon. Gentleman now came down, upon the strength of one individual case, and proposed to suspend all those Standing Orders. He was not aware that any Committee upon the subject had recommended such a change in their proceedings. He thought also that the hon. Gentleman had not made out a case for such interference; and he felt it his duty, therefore, to oppose the present Motion.

SIR W. JOLLIFFE

agreed, that it would be a most inconvenient time to discuss the general question of the Standing Orders, and he was glad that the right hon. Gentleman had expressed his intention of opposing the Motion. It might happen that, in the county of Leicester, the trusts might be ready to amalgamate; but he knew that in many parts of the south of England the trusts were in such a state that an amalgamation was utterly and entirely hopeless. He did not see that the Motion proposed by his hon. Friend would remedy the great evils which existed under the present law, and he trusted therefore that his hon. Friend would not press it.

MR. FREWEN

said, though he had only mentioned the county of Leicester, he believed that the desire for amalgamation, to which he had referred, prevailed pretty generally throughout the country. However, as it would be useless to press his Motion after what had fallen from the right hon. Gentleman, he begged leave to withdraw it.

Motion withdrawn.