§ COLONEL GILPINasked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether it is the intention of Government to introduce any measure for the relief of highway boards and parishes from the charge of repairing roads (recently turnpike) which has devolved upon them owing to the dissolution of turnpike trusts; and, whether it is intended to 1353 compensate in any way those mortgagees who, having advanced money for the purpose of making turnpike roads for the accommodation of the public, have now lost both principal and interest by the discharge of such trusts?
§ MR. SCLATER-BOOTH, in reply, said, it was not the intention of the Government, during the present Session, to introduce any measure upon the subject of highways. If any such measure were introduced, no doubt it would make some provision for relieving in certain cases highway districts and parishes from charges which pressed very severely on them. At the same time, during the last quarter of a century a large number of parishes had borne those charges cheerfully rather than have a continuance of toll bars and turnpike tolls. As to the second part of the Question of the hon. Member, the House of Commons and the Home Office in former days had always been very careful of the interests of mortgagees in arranging for the expiration of turnpike trusts, and he was not aware that there was any occasion for the Government to interfere by further legislation on the matter.