§ MR. T. DUNCOMBEsaid, he would beg leave to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether Her Majesty's Government have any measure in preparation for the abolition of the Tolls within the Metropolitan District; and if so, when it will be introduced?
SIR GEORGE LEWISsaid, that in consequence of the Report made by a Commission on the subject of the tolls of the Metropolis, he addressed a letter in January, 1860, to the Commissioners for the roads north of the Thames, wherein he stated that he should be prepared to bring in a Bill for the purpose of dealing with the question of metropolitan tolls, provided their concurrence were obtained. The object of that Bill would have been to empower parish vestries to form district boards, and to enter into agreements with the roads' trustees either for the abolition of any particular gate or for its removal; and also to enable parish vestries to pay to the trustees such annual sum as might be determined between them, as a reasonable compromise, out of any rate levied in the nature of highway, road, or paving rate. Such was the principle of the measure he was prepared to bring in. It would, in short, have enabled a parish to take upon itself the repair of a turnpike-road by voluntary agreement with the Commissioners. However, the answer of the Commissioners was not of that encouraging nature to induce him to bring in the Bill. The Commissioners took the circumstances into their own consideration with a view, he believed, of making some other proposal. But as yet that proposal had not been received.