CLAUSE 19.—(Power of Councils to make By-laws Regulating Advertisements.) (Hansard, 12 August 1913)

§ Mr.GOLDSMITH
I beg to move, after the word "by-law" ["specified in the bylaw"], to insert the words "Any by-laws made by the London County Council under this Section shall be enforced by that council, and any expenses incurred by that council shall be defrayed as payments for general county purposes."
I have no intention of delaying the House at this hour of the morning, and I hope the hon. Gentleman who is in charge of the Bill will accept my small Amendment. Clause 19 provides that the Advertisements Act of 1907 shall be construed as if the powers of the local authority, as defined by that Act, included a power to make by-laws. Section 8 of the Act of 1907 provides that certain by-laws made by the London County Council are to be enforced by the Metropolitan borough councils, and that might raise doubts as to the authority to make by-laws under the Clause. The first part of my Amendment is to place this matter beyond doubt. With regard to the 2457 second part of the Amendment, if the Committee will look at Clause 21, they will see that the expenses of the local authority under this Act are to be defrayed in the case of the London County Council as payments for general county purposes. That means that the expenses under this Act will be borne on the general county rate which is levied all over the county of London, and includes the City of London.
But the expenses under Clause 19 as it stands would be paid out of the special county fund, and would be chargeable to the special county rate in which the city is not included as the city does not contribute to the special county rate. The object of the Amendment is not to deprive the city of any powers, but to see that. Clause 19 is uniform with Clause 21. The city, which has a rateable value which amounts to one-eighth of the total rateable value of the county of London, has to bear its share of all burdens put on the county of London. I believe the hon. Gentleman is determined not to accept any Amendments at all. If that is so, I do not see the object of having a Committee stage. We who are anxious to improve the Bill are not responsible for the fact that this Bill, like a great many others, is taken at this hour of the morning, or that all these Bills are thrown at our heads in the last few days of the Session. Therefore, I do hope the hon. Gentleman will accept the Amendment which is desired by the London County Council, and which would not interfere in any way with the objects he has in view.

Mr. BENN
I do not in. the least complain of the hon. Gentleman moving this Amendment, but I think he is under a certain misapprehension in his reason for supporting it. It is true that Clause 21 gives coincident powers to the London County Council and the City Corporation, but that is in respect of the guardianship of ancient monuments. Clause 19 is quite different. It takes the Advertisements Regulations Act and gives power to prevent an ancient monument being defaced by an advertisement. Inasmuch as that is an added power, it is obviously convenient that the power should be exercised and paid for by the county council, that in the counties it should be enforced and paid for by the county council, and in the city it should be enforced by the city and paid for by the city rates. We are adding 2458 another power, and we think it should be paid for in that way. I think that is logical.

§ Mr. GOLDSMITH
The hon. Gentleman has not dealt with the first part of my Amendment.

Mr. BENN
I have dealt with the question of the enforcement of the powers with regard to the defacement of monuments. The powers are enforced by the county council in a county area and by the city in the city area.