§ This Act may be cited as the Housing of the Working Classes Act. 1890, Amendment (Scotland) Act, 1896.
§ MR. J. CALDWELL (Lanark, Mid.)said that the objection that he had to make to this clause was that it proposed to effect a very important change in a very well-understood principle of the land laws of Scotland. Under the existing principle, a man who purchased property must be upon the register before he acquired a full title to it. By the Bill, power would be given to the local authority to acquire the land which they might require for carrying the Act into operation without registering their title. They were entitled to ask the Lord Advocate why the Government were going to dispense with what was an essential requisite in every transaction in Scotland, that the title must be on the register.
§ MR. ALEXANDER ASHER (Elgin Burghs)hoped the hon. Member for Mid Lanark would not insist upon this Amendment, which was based upon an entire misapprehension. The words in the clause were merely inserted for the purpose of giving local authorities power to purchase land for the purpose of the Act of 1893. The Amendment, if carried, instead of extending would limit the power of local authorities under the original Act of 1889. The clause did not in any way limit the powers of the local authorities as to the completion of title, and the hon. Member might rest content that local authorities, like every reasonable man, would take care to complete their title.
§ Amendment negatived; clause ordered to stand part of the Bill.
§ Clause 3,—