HL Deb 08 August 1882 vol 273 cc1105-9

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee read.

LORD SUDELEY

said, before this Bill went into Committee it would be to the convenience of their Lordships if he stated at once that since the second reading of the Bill the Board of Trade had very carefully considered again the objections raised by the Electric Companies on Clause 3 and Clause 27. The Board of Trade had always felt it was difficult to say exactly what was the precise number of years which should be given to a licence, and after what exact number of years the local authorities should have power to purchase. The object had been to fix the shortest time for the existence of the monopoly that would be consistent with sufficient inducement for the investment of the necessary capital. After hearing the difficulties which the Electric Companies felt, mainly on the ground that the installations would be on a far larger scale than was at first thought practicable, the Board of Trade had thought that, in the interests of the general public, the term of licence should be extended to seven years, and the term of purchase to 21 years. The exact Amendments would be as proposed by the noble Earl (the Earl of Crawford). It was understood that this would meet all the objections of the Electric Light Companies; and it was far better, in the opinion of the Board of Trade, that the question should be settled permanently than be allowed to be raised at some future time. The Amendment about to be moved by the noble and learned Lord (Lord Bramwell) was totally inconsistent with this arrangement, and altered the terms of purchase, and could not be agreed to.

House in Committee (according to order).

Clause 1 (Short title) agreed to.

Clause 2 (Application of Act).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 1, line 8, after ("by") by inserting ("this Act or").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 3 (Granting of licenses authorising the supply of electricity).

On the Motion of The Earl of CRAWFORD, Amendment made, in page 1, line 27, by leaving out ("five") and inserting ("seven").

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendments made, in page 1 line 28, after ("but may, at") by inserting ("or after"), and leaving out (,"at any") and inserting ("from time to"); page 2, line 1, after ("time") insert ("for a like period").

On the Motion of The Earl of CRAWFORD, Amendment made, in page 2, line 6, by leaving out ("vestry").

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in line 29, after ("given") insert as a new sub-section— A license may, subject to the provisions of this Act, he granted to a local authority authorising them to supply electricity within any area although the same or some part thereof may not he included within their own district.

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 4 (Granting of provisional orders authorising the supply of electricity).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 3, line 17, after ("provisions") by inserting as a new sub-section— No provisional order shall authorise the supply of electricity by any undertakers within the district of any local authority (not being themselves the undertakers), unless notice that such provisional order has been or is intended to be applied for has been given to such local authority by the applicants in such manner as the Board of Trade may direct or approve on or before the first day of July in the year in which such application is made; provided that in the case of any application made during the present year such notice shall be deemed to have been given in due time if the same is given within one month after the passing of this Act.

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 5 and 6 agreed to.

Clause 7 (Expenses of local authority).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendments made, in page 5, line 12, by leaving out ("in respect of any undertaking"); in line 14, by leaving out ("obtaining the") and inserting— ("Connection with the obtaining by them, or any opposition to the obtaining by any other local authority, company, or person, of any"); and in line 15, by leaving out ("authorising the undertaking") and inserting ("under this Act").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 8 and 9 agreed to.

Clause 10 (General powers of undertakers under license or provisional order).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 6, line 24, after ("Act") by inserting ("and of any rules made by the Board of Trade in pursuance of this Act ").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 11 (Power for local authority to contract in certain cases and restrictions on assignments of powers, &c. of undertakers).

On the Motion of The Earl of CRAWFORD, Amendment made, in page 6, line 41, after ("special Act") by inserting ("without the consent of the Board of Trade").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 12 to 14, inclusive, agreed to.

Clause 15 (Power to undertakers to alter position of pipes and wires).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendments made, in page 8, line 36, after ("local") by inserting ("or other public"); and in line 40, after ("local") by inserting ("or other public").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 16 (Clause for protection of canals).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 9, line 19, by leaving out ("the Board of Trade") and inserting ("arbitration").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 17 agreed to.

Clause 18 (Undertakers not to prescribe special form of lamp or burner).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendments made, in page 9, line 32, after ("no") by inserting ("local authority"); in line 36, after ("other") by inserting ("local authority, company, or"); and in line 37, after ("and any") by inserting ("local authority, company, or").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 19 agreed to.

Clause 20 (Charges for electricity).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 10, line 9, after ("to any") insert ("local authority").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 21 (Recovery of charges, &c).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendments made, in page 10, line 14, after ("if any") by inserting ("local authority"); in line 16, after ("such") by inserting ("local authority"); and in line 22, after ("such") by inserting ("local authority").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 22 and 23 agreed to.

Clause 24 (Power to enter lands or premises for ascertaining quantities of electricity consumed, or to remove fittings, &c).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 10, line 39, after ("lines") by inserting ("accumulators").

On the Motion of The Earl of CRAWFORD, Amendment made, in page 10, line 39, after ("lines") by inserting ("meters").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 25 (Electric lines, &c. not to be subject to distress in certain cases).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendments made, in page 11, line 7, by leaving out ("meters") and inserting ("accumulators"), and after ("fittings") by inserting ("works"); and inline 11, by leaving out ("meters") and inserting ("accumulators"), and after ("fittings") by inserting ("works").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 26 (Provision for protection of the Postmaster General).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 11, line 42, by leaving out ("the Board of Trade") and inserting ("arbitration").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 27 (Purchase of undertaking by local authority).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 12, line 17, after ("Act") by inserting ("or such provisional order or special Act as aforesaid").

On the Motion of The Earl of CRAWFORD, Amendment made, in page 12, line 82, by leaving out ("fifteen years") and inserting— ("Twenty-one years or such shorter period as is specified in that behalf in the application for the Provisional Order or in the special Act"); and in line 34, by leaving out ("five years") and inserting— ("Seven years or such shorter period as is specified in that behalf in the application for the Provisional Order or in the Special Act").

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 28 to 31, inclusive, agreed to.

Clause 32 (Interpretation).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 14, line 38, by leaving out ("has the same meaning as in the Gasworks Clauses Act, 1847") and inserting— ("Includes any square, court, or alley, highway, lane, road, thoroughfare, or public passage, or place, within the area in which the undertakers are authorised to supply electricity by this Act or any license, order, or special Act")

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 33 to 35, inclusive, agreed to.

Clause 36 (Application of Act to Scotland).

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made, in page 15, line 24, after ("theft") by inserting—"The expression 'felony' means a high crime and offence;" in page 15, line 28, by leaving out ("vestry"); and in line 30, after ("applied") by inserting— The expression 'local authority' means as regards streets and roads the authority having the control of the streets and roads.

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

On the Motion of Lord SUDELEY, Amendment made in Schedule (Scotland), page 20, second column, insert ("The county road board"); Schedule (Ireland), page 20, last column, leave out the whole entry in order to insert— ("That prescribed by section two hundred and. forty-eight of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878.

The Report of the Amendments to be received on Thursday next; and Bill to be printed as amended. (No. 229.)