CLAUSE 1.—(Purchase of Ancient Monuments by Agreement.) (Hansard, 12 August 1913)

§ Mr. BOOTH

Clause 1 deals with the purchase of ancient monuments by agreement. I do not think many hon. Members of the House have a copy of the second Sub-section, and I would like to draw their special attention to it. It says:— Any local authority within the meaning of this Act may, if they think fit, purchase by agreement any monument situate in or in the vicinity of their area which appears to them to be an ancient monument within the meaning of this Act. I would like to know how far it is intended that action should be taken in such a case as the following. The local authorities throughout the country may have very different ideas with regard to the protection of an ancient monument, and we may find that monuments which are somewhat of national interest are being carefully attended to in one place, whilst under another authority they are entirely disregarded. That being so, it seems to be a proper case in which some supervising authority should insist on harmonious treatment. Is it intended that there should be a great deal of difference in the various authorities and in their practice? Speaking for myself, I do not think it at all wise that local authorities should be-encouraged to make these purchases. The decisions on these matters may not always be given purely in the interests of art, or in the general interest of the ratepayers. I have known many local authorities diverted from their natural work of dealing with public health, education, and so on, into disputes of this kind with re- 2449 gard to buildings, and it is well known that nothing excites so much discord and so much controversy as a dispute upon art. I remember an occasion in which the disputes of an art committee were out of all proportion to the importance of the subject, and one knows that when the authorities come to discuss these contentious matters of art, they divide up into party lines, and there is a great deal of confusion amongst those members who possess qualities which, in their ordinary work, make business go through entirely harmoniously. I have always been anxious in this House to see that these authorities really confine themselves to duties of public expenditure, and when you put these extraneous and sometimes exacting duties upon them, really no good comes of it. I fear that this Clause, whereby the local authorities are given a voice in these matters, will lead to anything but harmony. I would like to know if there will be anyone appointed thoroughly to supervise their work. The local authorities, as a rule, are under the Local Government Board, and they are accustomed to pay a great deal of attention to that Department. This Clause puts them, to a certain extent, under the Commissioner of Works, who will not have any influence over them at all.