CLAUSE 18. (Hansard, 11 May 1898)

MR. T. M. HEALY
He thought the Government had selected a very clumsy phrase. "Town" was a good old word, and ought to be retained.

§ MR. ATKINSON
said the term "urban district" was used all through the English Act.

§ MR. KNOX
I do not think the term "urban district" is an improvement. There is no real reason why townships should be abolished. Although there are no particularly sweet associations connected with the townships around Dublin, the word is still a good word, and has 1011 excellent associations in other hemispheres.

§ SIR T. ESMONDE (Kerry, W.)
What will become of the Town Commissioners if this clause passes?

§ MR. GERALD BALFOUR
They will become urban district councillors.

MR. T. M. HEALY
The English language is being Latined and Greeked to an extraordinary degree. I withdraw my Amendment.

§ MR. JORDAN (Fermanagh, S.)
This section of the clause provides that all urban sanitary authorities shall be called urban district councils, and their districts shall be called urban districts, but that nothing in the section shall alter the style or title of the corporation or council of a borough. What are we to understand by the definition of the word "borough"? Does it include such a place as the one I am going to refer to? In 1870 the Town Commissioners of Enniskillen got a private Act through this House at great cost and inconvenience, Clause 5 of which enacts that— The Commissioners appointed and authorised under and by virtue of the former Acts, and their successors from time to time appointed and authorised under and by virtue of the former Acts, and this Act, shall be a body corporate by the name of the 'Commissioners of the Borough of Enniskillen,' and by that name shall have perpetual succession, and a common seal, with power to purchase, take, hold, and dispose of lands and other property for the purposes of this Act, and the former Acts, and shall be the Commissions for carrying this Act into execution. I want to know if the term "borough" includes such a case as that. If it includes such a case as that, it is all right. If it excludes such a case as that, it is all wrong. The object of my Amendment is to provide that nothing in the section shall alter the style or title of ancient towns like Enniskillen, of whose rights and privileges I am extremely jealous. I do not think it would be fair, Mr. Lowther, that an ancient township like 1012 ours, having obtained, at great cost, a special Act, should come within the scope of this section, and have given to it a name which is strange and which we know nothing about.

§ MR. ATKINSON
The section as it stands will in no way affect the style or title of towns like Enniskillen.

§ MR. JORDAN
Will we have the right to use one common seal?

§ MR. ATKINSON
Certainly, two common seals.

§ MR. JORDAN
We have two seals, as a matter of fact. I withdraw my Amendment.

§ MR. M. HEALY
said that this Amendment appeared to him to compel the Local Government Board to accept, the existing unit of electoral division with the proviso that it had power to divide the electoral division. There was a special enactment that a poor law division would be called a district division. It, therefore, prohibited a formal combination of these district electoral divisions. The honourable Member, who 1013 was very indistinctly heard, was understood that, according to the Chief Secretary's arguments, his Amendment was required.
The first part of the Amendment was agreed to.
On the second part the honourable Member was understood to say that, as the law stood, the Local Government Board had power to alter the electoral divisions. As the clause stood, it constituted a ward as it existed at the moment of the passing of the Act, and he apprehended that, while the Local Government Board had power to alter an ordinary division, a ward was stereotyped.

§ MR. GERALD BALFOUR
was understood to say that he would not object to the Amendment.

§ MR. P. A. M'HUGH
I should like to ask the Chief Secretary how this Amendment, if carried, would affect a town like Sligo? It is not a county borough; it will be an urban district, and I should like to know if the Local Government Board would have power to rearrange the boundaries of a town such as Sligo? If so, I would oppose it.

§ MR. MAURICE HEALY
I will move the Amendment, not really as a question of compulsion, but to call attention to the fact that, if the clause stood in its existing form, there would be two—[remainder of sentence not heard.] I quite agree that there is something in the point made by my honourable Friend below me [Mr. M'Hugh], and I propose, in view of what he has said, if the Government will consider the question, to withdraw the Amendment.

§ MR. GERALD BALFOUR
was understood to assent to Mr. Healy's proposition.