LEAVE. FIRST READING. (Hansard, 7 July 1859)

SIR GEORGE LEWIS
said, he rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the laws relative to the management of Highways. He need scarcely remind the House that all roads which were not included in a local Turnpike Act, and not converted into turnpike roads, were repaired by parishes as Highways. For the purpose of maintaining them a surveyor was appointed, and the expense attending their repair was defrayed by a parochial tax called a highway rate. The subject, then, was one of no small importance. For the year ending March, 1855 (the last for which there were any Returns), the highway rate for England and Wales amounted to £1,881,000. The total receipts for the maintenance of Highways, including some sources of revenue besides the rate, amounted to £2,106,000, and the total expenditure in that year was £2,126,000. These figures showed that the interest concerned was one of great magnitude, while the object of the expenditure was one in which the community were also deeply interested. The whole of this expenditure was, with the exception of the six counties of South Wales, managed by single parishes without anything like a combined operation for a systematic management of districts. For some years past Bills had been introduced to that House with the view of establishing the principle of district management under the control of a surveyor who should not be wholly unpaid, 841 as was now the case, but who should receive a stipend for his services. Only one of these Bills annually submitted to the House had received the sanction of Parliament—he meant that which related to the counties of South Wales. In those counties an Act had been in force for some years dividing the counties into districts for the maintenance of the Highways, on the principle embodied in the Bill which he now asked to introduce. He could state, from his personal knowledge and from information, that the operation of that Act had been most beneficial in South Wales; that it had not increased expenditure, while it had considerably increased the efficiency of the administration, and produced a better class of roads than before. The Bill he now asked to introduce was identical with that brought in last Parliament by the hon. Member for Leominster (Mr. Hardy), who was then Under Secretary for the Home Department. That Bill had been framed with great ability and judgment and was fully entitled to the approbation of the House, and had the advantage of being read a second time and going through one stage in Committee, when some amendments were introduced into it. He believed that he would best meet the views of the House by adopting that measure exactly as it was left by the last Parliament, and whatever credit, therefore, was due on account of the measure, it belonged entirely to the Member for Leominster. His own experience showed that if a district management, such as this Bill proposed, was introduced they would have a better and more efficient administration of the roads.

§ MR. DRUMMOND
said, he had no doubt that the Bill would do all that the right hon. Gentleman said it would do—namely, greatly improve the roads of England, but at the same time he feared it would add enormously to the expense of parishes. There could be no doubt that the principal roads of England were tolerably well taken care of, but the cross roads and the parish roads were very ill taken care of. They all knew that there were a great many persons in every parish who were neither first-rate workmen nor labourers, and who must either be employed in some way or other or go into the union. These bad and weak hands were employed at inferior labour on the roads. But if they appointed a district surveyor he would employ the very best hands, and all the bad hands would be left without any means of employment whatever. Of course 842 the farmers would not take them, and what then would be done with these people? It would be replied, let them go into the workhouse; but then the New Poor Law said that no man could go into the workhouse till he had parted with his cottage, his furniture, and all he possessed. He therefore wished to warn the House to take care that they did not by this measure impose additional burdens upon the ratepayers, and also add to the sufferings and misery of the Poor.

§ MR. BARROW
said, he also wished that the country should have an opportunity of seeing this Bill in order that the ratepayers, who would be mainly interested in the question, should have an opportunity of considering its merits. The Bill affected a serious principle in their legislation—namely, that of local self-government, which he viewed as the best part of our constitution.

MR. A. BRUCE
observed, that the right hon. Baronet had informed the House that the provisions of this Bill would not be extended to the six southern counties of Wales. He should be glad to receive some assurance that either in the present or some future measure these acknowledged benefits would be extended to those counties.

§ MR. HARDY
said, he should ill repay the complimentary language of the right hon. Gentleman with regard to the Bill of last Session if he did not offer him his cordial support in bringing forward the present measure and passing it into a law 843 during the present Session. The country had had a full opportunity of seeing the Bill of the late Government. The public took the greatest interest in this question, and the drawers of his office were full of the letters he had received on the subject. The Bill went out of print—he was afraid to say how many times—from the number of applications made in that House; and every Member could testify to the desire to possess the Bill in the country. From the year 1849 this question had been before the country. The principle of his Bill was that districts should be formed for the administration of highways; but whether those districts should be polling divisions or union divisions he left to be settled by the magistrates. The measure was therefore not one to take away local government, but to improve it. Parishes were to be brought in union, and they would all be represented as at the Board of Guardians for the relief of the poor. He had received several communications from chairmen of quarter sessions in favour of the Bill of last Session, and, with few exceptions, the letters he received were in approval of the measure. It passed a second reading without a division, and the House might, he thought, be fairly called upon to consider the Bill without delay. When the right hon. Gentleman went into Committee he should do his best to expedite the Bill.

§ MR. PHILIPPS
said, that the farmers were apt to grumble when roads which had been abandoned were revived, and they were made to pay for their repair. He therefore would be pleased to see some principle laid down by which the requisites which constituted a highway could be more readily determined than at present. They must be careful that the provisions of the measure did not cause irritation, but he should not object to its introduction.

§ MR. HADFIELD
said, he should be glad to know whether there would not be some reservation of the powers of Highway Boards as they existed in corporate towns. He believed that those Boards had worked very satisfactorily, and he should be sorry to see them interfered with.

SIR GEORGE LEWIS
said, there was a clause in the Bill giving power to townconncils of boroughs to assume the powers given to Highway Boards, if they thought fit. He agreed with the hon. Member for Leominster that this Bill had received full attention in the late Parliament. In the case adverted to by the hon. Member for West Surrey (Mr. Drummond) the high- 844 way rate appeared to be employed as subsidiary to the poor-rate. It was a question whether that was not an abuse. The object of the Highway rate was to repair the roads in the most economical manner, and it was a perversion to consider it as a rate in aid to the poor-rate. The Bill, however, would not interfere with the local government and management of the Highway rate, only instead of the highways being managed by single parishes they would be administered by groups of parishes. The Bill would not in any way interfere with the local management of Highways.