HC Deb 11 November 1926 vol 199 cc1362-3
Mr. HANNON

I beg to move, in page 34, line 10, at the end, to insert the words together with such to ether sum as will reimburse the company or person for any loss sustained by reason of the acquisition of such station or line. I think my right hon. Friend the Minister is a little unfair to the companies or persons whose property is to be acquired in giving them only the expenses properly incurred and incidental to the provision of the generating station or main transmission line, less depreciation on a scale fixed by special order. It can easily be imagined that in acquiring property of this character very substantial losses may be inflicted on the persons from whom the property is acquired and we feel strongly that as an act of justice to the undertakers some provision should be made for such loss as may be sustained when their property is acquired.

Mr. BALFOUR

I beg to second the Amendment.

Colonel ASHLEY

Apart from being a little bit frightened of accepting Amendments from my hon. Friend, which we have once or twice gat into serious trouble for doing, I think he is opening his mouth rather too wide. To ask that we should add such further sum as will reimburse the company or person for any loss sustained by reason of the acquisition of such station or line is really unreasonable. What we have in the Schedule is quite fair, it seems to me. We say that the price of the generating station or main transmission line shall be such sum as may he certified by an auditor "— an impartial person— appointed by the Electricity Commissioners to have been the amount of the expenses properly incurred on and incidental to the provision of the generating station or main transmission line, less depreciation on a scale fixed by special order. After mature consideration that seems to us to be a fair basis on which to estimate the loss, and we really cannot go further.

Amendment negatived.