§ SIR HENRY HOAREasked the President of the Board of Trade, If his attention has been called to a Letter which appeared in "The Times" of the 7th of April, containing the opinion of the editor of the "New York Evening Post," that if proper precautions had been taken when Charters were granted in that City it would now be in receipt of sufficient revenue from them to pay all expenses of paving, lighting, cleansing, sewerage, &c.; and, whether, seeing that no independent evidence has been laid before the House as to the conditions upon which such concessions are now granted in the United States, any steps have been taken, or will be taken, to secure evidence upon this important point before further powers are granted for the construction of Street Tramways in the Metropolis?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUEsaid, in reply, that the position of the Board of Trade was this—An Act of last Session gave power to local authorities to construct tramways if they chose, and, 1931 if they did not choose, it empowered companies to do so. In no case had the local authorities elected to construct tram ways; on the contrary, they had given their assent, under the Act, to some of the schemes promoted by companies. The Metropolitan Board of Works had declined to undertake the construction of them. Under these circumstances he felt bound, acting in the spirit of the Act of last year, to place before Parliament the schemes which had received the sanction of the local authorities. They would be embodied in provisional orders, and their fate would then depend upon the House and its Committees.