MR. ROWNTREEfor (Sir HENRY ROSCOE) (Manchester, S.) (Scarborough)869 asked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether his attention has been called to notices given for supplying electric light in the parish of Kensington, under the Electric Lighting Acts, 1882 and 1888, by the four following Companies—namely, the Kensington and Knightsbridge Electric Company, Limited; the Chelsea Electricity Supply Company, Limited; the Notting Hill Electric Lighting Company, Limited; and the House to House Electric Supply Company, Limited; whether he is aware that the said Companies propose to conduct their operations mainly, or very largely, within the same area, and in many instances to take power to break up the same streets, roads, or places; whether it is the duty of the Board of Trade, before making any Provisional Order, to take cognizance, of its own motion, of such primâ facie objections; and, whether the Board will not take any such cognizance unless and until it is moved thereto by the Local Authority, or other parties interested?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.)The answer to the first three Questions of the hon. Member is "Yes;" and the answer to the last is, that it is the duty and practice of the Board of Trade, in framing a Provisional Order, to consider any objections to which their attention is called, and also any such as may occur to them.
§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL (Kirkcaldy, &c.)asked the President of the Board of Trade, with reference to the applications now being made by various Companies to supply Kensington and other parts of the Metropolis with electric light, If he will take care that concessions are not sanctioned till the applicants have given some substantial guarantees that they will really carry out the proposed works, and not merely hawk about the concessions in the market, and throw them up if no profit is made there, as was so generally the case when Provisional Orders were granted under the former Act?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.), in reply, said, that in the case of all Provisional Orders and of most licences a deposit was required from the undertakers, and the powers so given could not be transferred without the sanction of the Board of Trade.