HC Deb 04 June 1856 vol 142 cc938-9

Order for Committee read; House in Committee.

Clause 1, agreed to.

Clause 2.

LORD LOVAINE

said, he objected to buildings of this class being exempted from poor rates. He thought that if the Bill were passed, public buildings of all kinds would claim exemption.

MR. HUTT

said, the present law exempted buildings used exclusively for literary and scientific purposes from rating, but, by a decision of Lord Campbell, the taking in a single newspaper rendered those buildings liable. That could not have been the intention of the Legislature, and therefore it was proposed to remedy the defect of the law by leaving out the word "exclusively."

MR. HENLEY

said, such a principle of exemption would extend to any literary or scientific club, but why should the Athenæum be exempted while the Travellers' paid local rates? It was not right that, under the pretence of being scientific or literary, ordinary business should be carried on in houses exempt from local rates. In the then state of the House—no Member of the Government being present—it was impossible to discuss the question, but it appeared to him the word "exclusively" was a very good word, and restricted the boon of exemption to societies which were really scientific or literary.

COLONEL HARCOURT

said, he had the honour to be a member of the Royal Institution, a society instituted solely to promote scientific objects. Now the Institution, simply because it took in a newspaper—which, let him observe, frequently conveyed scientific information unattainable elsewhere—was shut out from an advantage extended to other scientific bodies, if not less eminent, certainly not more eminent than itself, and was in consequence compelled to pay rates. He was quite sure that was contrary to the intentions of the framers of the present Act.

MR. SPOONER

said, he thought that they might graft anything upon what was termed a Scientific Institution, and therefore they ought at once to define strictly what was meant by such a body. At all events, they ought not to discuss such a question in the absence of every single Member of the Government, and therefore he should move that the Chairman report progress.

After some further discussion, the Amendment was withdrawn.

Clause agreed to; as were the remaining clauses.

House resumed.

Bill reported as amended.