CONSIDERATION. (Hansard, 1 August 1893)

§ MR. BENN (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)

said that, in moving the Amendment which stood in his name, he desired to make it clear to the House that this was a more important matter than appeared on the surface; it was, in fact, an effort on the part of the County Council to bring the geography of the Education Department up to date. He might remind the House that under the Local Government Act, Section 40, Sub-section 2, such portion of the administrative part of the County of London, which took in portions of the Counties of Kent and Surrey, should on and after the appointed day be severed from those counties, and be known by the title of the County of London. Since that time the style and title of the County of Loudon had been adopted in nearly all Private Acts, and in order to settle the matter the London County Council raised the question in connection with the Local Government Board in 1891, and the Board replied that places within the area of the County of Loudon might he described as being in the County of London. What was of great importance was that that description had been adopted in documents issued by the Local Government Board, and even in the Census papers Middlesex was described as "the ancient 992 County of Middlesex." The Amendments he had put down related to parts within the County of Loudon, and the importance of the matter might be understood from the fact that there might be a doubt as to the locality of some property if some large-hearted citizen were to leave his lands to the London County Council. He hoped the right hon. Gentleman in charge of the Bill would see his way to adopt the various Amendments he had placed on the Paper.