SECOND READING. (Hansard, 12 June 1883)

§ MR. MONK

said, that, after the time that had already been spent upon Private Business, he would not now trespass long upon the attention of the House. Having, however, given Notice yesterday of opposition to the Bill, he thought it was only right to say a few words to explain the reasons why he gave such Notice. As the House granted a second reading to a Bill of a similar nature yesterday, without opposition, he had no hope or expectation that the House would throw out this Bill on the second reading; and, therefore, he would say at once he should not put the House to the trouble of dividing. He did think that when a Bill of this nature 375 was brought in by the Metropolitan Board of Works, the ratepayers of the Metropolis ought to know something about the measure. Now, this Bill proposed, in Clause 5, that the ratepayers of the Metropolis should pay not only the whole expense of erecting the ventilators, which had proved of so much use during the short time they had been in operation, but that they should pay the whole of the cost of removing them. That was a reckless expenditure, in his opinion, and one which it was very hard that the ratepayers should be called upon to bear. Personally, he had very little confidence in the Metropolitan Board of Works; and, with all respect to the hon. and gallant Baronet the Member for Truro (Sir James M'Garel-Hogg), ho had very little confidence in him as the Chairman of the Board. He would tell the House why. His hon. and gallant Friend had, year after year, opposed Motions which he (Mr. Monk) and others had brought forward in the House for referring the Annual Bill of the Metropolitan Board of Works to a Committee of the House. He (Mr. Monk) had always held that the large expenditure incurred by the Metropolitan Board of Works ought to be submitted to the examination of a Committee of the House of Commons; and the House would remember that in 1881—two years ago—the late Lord Frederick Cavendish gave his assent to the Bill of the next Session—namely, last Session—being so referred. But his hon. Friend the present Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Courtney), when he succeeded to the Office, refused his assent to that course being followed last year. He (Mr. Monk) bad a strong objection to any expenditure being incurred by the Metropolitan Board of Works which was not audited by the House. Yesterday, the London Commissioners of Sewers obtained the second reading of a Bill, the effect of which would really be to aid in poisoning the millions of persons who travelled by the Metropolitan District Railway. He had had some little experience of travelling on the Underground Railway, both before and since the ventilators had been erected; and he said, without fear of contradiction, that there was now a much purer atmosphere in the tunnels than there was before the ventilators were constructed. He knew 376 there were some hon. Gentlemen who did not credit that statement; but there were a great many people who travelled by the line, and who had acknowledged with gratitude the efforts made by the District Railway to improve the atmosphere in the tunnels. Having made these few observations, he merely desired, on behalf of some of the ratepayers of the Metropolis, to enter a strong protest against their money being squandered in the way proposed by the Metropolitan Board of Works, and to hope that the Bill would never come back to the House from the Select Committee to which it would be referred.

§ SIR JAMES M'GAREL-HOGG

said, he was very sorry indeed that he did not possess the confidence of his hon. Friend (Mr. Monk). He was happy to say, however, that he possessed the confidence of other people, and had done so for a considerable time. As regarded the Metropolitan Board of Works, he could only say they endeavoured to do their duty. They represented the Metropolis; they carried out their duty to the best of their ability; and they never spent a penny more of the public's money than was necessary. The question of the Annual Money Bill was not now before the House, though, if it were, it would simply be found to be a recapitulation of what both Houses of Parliament had passed year after year. He maintained there was no necessity whatever to send it to a Select Committee. As to the proposed expenditure, he thought the money of the ratepayers would be remarkably well spent in defending their own property. He said yesterday, and he was sorry to have to repeat it, that, considering the original cost of the Embankment and Gardens was more than £1,500,000, £40,000 would be very well spent in preventing them from being desecrated and destroyed. As a matter of fact, in whatever the Metropolitan Board of Works were now doing, they were simply carrying out the instructions of the House. In accordance with the views of the Select Committee of the House, the Board were now engaged in making experiments with the object of showing that the present ventilators were not at all needed, because the ventilation of the railway could be carried out in a much better way.

377 Question put, and agreed to.

Bill read a second time, and committed.