§ MR. OCTAVIUS V. MORGAN (Battersea)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, in the event of it being brought to the knowledge of the Board that certain members of Corporations are directors and shareholders in Gas Companies situate within the jurisdiction of such Corporations, whether, in pursuance of the powers vested in the Board of Trade under the Electric Lighting Acts to dispense with the consents of the Local Authorities, this would be deemed a sufficient reason for the Board to 1641 dispense with the consents of such Local Authorities, and grant Provisional Orders to other undertakers, who might be applying for Provisional Orders in the district affected?
§ *SIR M. HICKS BEACHThe mere fact that certain members of Local Authorities are shareholders in Gas Companies within the district of the Local Authority would not of itself be -deemed a sufficient reason to justify the Board of Trade in dispensing with the consent of such Local Authorities to Provisional Orders applied for by private promoters. If, however, it could be shown that the refusal of a Local Authority to give their consent is due to the votes of any members who were improperly influenced in giving those votes, by their personal interest in local gas undertakings, I should be disposed to consider the expediency of directing an inquiry into an application to dispense with that consent.