COMMITTEE. (Hansard, 12 April 1892)

§ *(5.9.) MR. MARJORIBANKS (Berwickshire)
I beg to move That it be an Instruction to the Committee that it have power to further amend section fifty-eight of 'The Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act, 1878,' by enabling county road boards, under certain conditions, to construct and maintain roads and bridges for the benefit of their county within the territory of a neighbouring county, provided the consent of the County Council of the latter county be first obtained. In explanation of this Instruction I may state that, with regard to the more remote portion of the counties in Scotland, it often occurs that a county or part of a county requires an outlet, say to a railway station, and in order to get that outlet it has to traverse a portion of the territory of the neighbouring 1258 county. As the law now stands there is no power for the county requiring the outlet to construct and maintain a road or bridge in the territory of the neighbouring county. I think it will be granted that such a power is desirable, and I therefore move this Instruction without further comment.

§ *(3.12.) THE LORD ADVOCATE (Sir C. J. PEARSON,) Edinburgh and St. Andrews Universities
In assenting to this Instruction as a reasonable one, I only desire to say that I do so in the belief that it will not in any way delay the Bill, which is one of considerable urgency.

§ (3.15.) MR. HOZIER (Lanarkshire, S.)
I understand that this clause is to enable the County Council to approve of a resolution to re-build any bridge that may be destroyed or seriously injured by flood, fire, or other sudden calamity, at any meeting called for the purpose. Would not the right hon. Gentleman make some change with regard to the meetings at which the Resolutions are to be approved?

§ *(3.16.) SIR C. J. PEARSON
I could not assent to the hon. Member's suggestion. The October meeting is the one at which the Road Trustees transact their important business, and it was thought right in 1889 that that meeting should be retained as one for the ordinary business of the county; and this Bill, while accepting that situation, introduces a special meeting by special notice only for the purposes set forth in Clause 1—that is to say, for the purpose of dealing with the cases of bridges which have been destroyed by flood, fire, or other sudden calamity. I could not now 1259 assent to make a change generally, because I think there is a great deal to be said against allowing the repair or the re-building of bridges, which has for a long time been in contemplation, to be the subject of special meetings. These matters might well be relegated to the October meeting.

§ MR. CRAWFORD (Lanark, N.E.)
I wish to ask the Lord Advocate whether the effect of the clause will be to make any difference in the incidence of rating between owners and occupiers?

§ SIR C. J. PEARSON
No, Sir. I am not aware that the clause will have any such effect. It will give the County Council power to lay the cost of rebuilding the bridge upon the district within which it is situated, and to confer upon them the power to lay the cost partly on the county and partly on the district.