§ Bill, as amended, considered.
THE PARLIAMENTAEY UNDER SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Colonel KING-HAKMAN) (Kent, Isle of Thanet)I rise, Sir, to move the clause which stands in my name, and which, I believe, practically meets the views of hon. Members. It is desired to extend this Bill to Ireland, and this clause is thereby rendered necessary.
§ Clause (Saving for Crown Lands and other lands,)—(Colonel King-Harman,)—brought up, and read the first time.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause be read a second time."
§ MR. MURPHY (Dublin, St. Patrick's)I wish to say I entirely assent to this clause.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Clause read a second time, and added to the Bill.
§ SIR JOHN LUBBOCK (London University)I believe it would be very desirable that the clause standing in the name of the hon. Member for Gateshead (Mr. W. H. James) should be inserted, as the Bill will apply to a number of these cases. I beg therefore, to move it.
§ MR. SPEAKERI must remind the hon. Baronet that this clause ought properly to be moved by the hon. Gentleman in whose name it stands; and I 1548 must point out to the House that, in his absence, I do not think it can be moved.
§ MR. CHANCE (Kilkenny, S.)Can it not be done by the general consent of the House?
§ MR. SPEAKERIt would introduce an inconvenient precedent.
§ Clause (Application of Acts,)—Mr. Murphy,)—brought up, and read the first and second time, amended, and added.
§ Clause,—
§ (Power over open spaces already vested in sanitary authority.)
§ "The Metropolitan Board or the sanitary authority may exercise all the powers given to them by the said Act or this Act respecting open spaces, churchyards, cemeteries, and burial grounds transferred to them in pursuance of the said Act or of this Act in respect of any open spaces, churchyards, cemeteries, and burial grounds of a similar nature which are or shall be vested in them in pursuance of any other statute or of which they are otherwise the owners.
§ "The Metropolitan Board of Works or the sanitary authority may purchase or take on lease, lay out, plant, improve, and maintain lands for the purpose of being used as public walks or pleasure grounds, and may support or contribute to the support of public walks or pleasure grounds provided by any person whomsoever.
§ "It shall and may be lawful for the Metropolitan Board of Works or the sanitary authority, for the purposes of this Act, to narrow such roads as the borough surveyor may report to be unnecessarily wide, and to stop up any roads which may appear to them to be useless,—(Mr. Murphy,)
§ —brought up, and road the first and second time.
§ Amendment made.
§ Amendment proposed, in line 8, to leave out the words "or the sanitary authority."—(Mr. Ritchie.)
§ Question proposed, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Clause."
§ MR. MURPHYI think there is some doubt about the advisability of omitting these words. The omission may lead to some difficulty, and it cannot do any harm, even if they prove a surplusage.
§ MR. CHANCEI think it will be found that in Ireland the Sanitary Authorities have not the same powers as those in England. It would be better to allow them to remain.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. RITCHIE) (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)The 1549 words are exactly copied from the Act. I think there would be great objection to retaining them. This is one of the inconveniences of the course of attempting to apply to Ireland a Bill drawn for England.
§ MR. CHANCESuppose we add the words "in Ireland."
§ MR. ISAACS (Newington, Walworth)Or "any sanitary authority."
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Amendment made.
§ Clause, as amended, agreed to, and added to the Bill.
§ Clause (Power to Corporation to make free gift of land for open space),—(Mr. Houldsworth,)—brought up, and read the first and second time.
§ MR. HOULDSWORTH (Manchester, N. W.)Perhaps I ought to give a short explanation in regard to this clause. A similar clause was proposed in Committee, but exception was taken to the unlimited power it proposed to give. That has now been guarded against by inserting words which provide that a Corporation can only put its powers in force under this clause with the consent of other superior corporate bodies. I think there can be now no objection to the clause, and I am sure it will prove of great value in carrying out the intentions of the Act of Parliament.
§ MR. CHANCEI understand very great objection was taken to the clause in Committee, and as it was then considered undesirable to pass it, I shall, therefore, resist it now.
§ MR. WHITLEY (Liverpool, Everton)I took objection to this clause in Committee. Now, as it provides that no Corporation can act without getting the consent of the Lords of the Treasury, I hope the objection to it will not be persisted in.
§ Clause agreed to, and added to the Bill.
§ Further Amendments made.
§ Bill to be read the third time Tomorrow.
§ House adjourned at a quarter before Two o'clock.