§ MR. SALTasked the President of the Local Government Board, If, inasmuch as the Rivers Conservancy Bill contains important provisions for the creation of new rates, new areas, and new local authorities, he will endeavour to place the Bill as a first Order of the Day, or postpone the Bill until the proposals relating to local administration, promised in Her Majesty's Most Gracious Speech, have been brought before the consideration of the House?
§ MR. R. H. PAGETasked the President of the Local Government Board, If he will be good enough to inform the House on what day he proposes to proceed with the Rivers Conservancy and Floods Prevention Bill; and, whether, in deference to the amount of interest taken in this measure, he will undertake to put it as a first Order of the Day, and will give sufficient notice of the time at which he proposes to bring it forward?
§ MR. DODSON, in reply, said, that he would willingly endeavour to make the Bill the first Order of the Day; but, looking to the state of Business, he should be only misleading hon. Members if he were to enter into any undertaking on the subject. He could only repeat what he had said before, that he was aware of the desire of several hon. Gentlemen to have some discussion on this subject with the Speaker in the Chair. He would, therefore, use his best efforts to bring on the Bill at a reasonable hour. With regard to the first Question, it appeared to him that no advantage would be gained by postponing the consideration of the measure until the County Government Bill was passed. From the nature of rivers which often flowed through several counties, and many of which flowed between different counties and formed their boundaries, he thought that the watershed was the area to be considered. That was the view taken by the Select Committee of the Lords which inquired into the subject, and by the Committees of both Houses, to which the Bill had been referred last year. It was also the view 456 taken by the Local Government Board, when the hon. Gentleman himself (Mr. Salt) was connected with it, and by the late Government when they proposed to legislate on the two subjects.