§ MR. EGERTON HUBBARDasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he will extend to boroughs with a population under 5,000 (whose police are not consolidated with the county police) the Government grant of one fourth (now increased to one-half), the charge for the pay and clothing of their police, in all cases where such boroughs are efficient as regards "the stat of their police stations, charge rooms, cells," &c, and the other provisions of the Act 19 and 20 Vic, c. 69, s. 15, entitled "An Act to render more 507 effectual the Police in Counties and Boroughs in England and Wales?"
MR. ASSHETON GROSS, in reply, said, that it was certainly not his intention to recommend Her Majesty's Government to take the course proposed by his hon. Friend. He thought that if the 15th section of the Act of Parliament, which required the efficiency of the force before the making of grants, was wise, the 17th section, which limited the grants to places with over 5,000 inhabitants, was still more wise. If places with small populations were to be indulged with the expensive and somewhat extravagant luxury of having a police of their own, he was afraid they must also be indulged with the still more extravagant luxury of paying for it themselves.