YORKSHIRE REGISTRIES AMENDMENT BILL. [H.L.] (Hansard, 1 July 1909)

§ LORD NUNBURNHOLME

My Lords, in rising to move the Second Reading of this Bill I feel that the matter we are about to discuss would have been put before you with more force by my noble friend Lord Wenlock, the Chairman of the East Riding County Council. Your Lordships have before you a Memorandum briefly dealing with the history of this subject. Under former Acts of Parliament it was necessary for the county councils of the three Ridings of Yorkshire to appoint as registrar a gentleman who had been a solicitor or sub-registrar. To obtain the services of a gentleman as registrar who was to do no other work, the county councils of Yorkshire had to pay 143 a good salary—£700 or £800 a year; and the County Council of the East Riding of Yorkshire are fully convinced that they themselves could do this work through their clerk by giving him £100 a year for that purpose, thus saving the larger expense of making a separate appointment. This is rather a dull subject, but in these days of increasing taxation I feel that I can make some appeal to your Lordships' sympathy in favour of this Bill. In the East Riding we have always had our rates fairly low, and the county council are desirous of keeping them low. We see a way here of saving some £700 a year, and with your permission we should like to do it. There is another point in favour of this Bill. The clerk of a county council has a large staff under him. Therefore if any gentleman came to the registry and wanted promptly information relating to a particular subject he could probably get it within a few hours and certainly within a day, whereas if you had a registrar with a very small staff or no staff at all it would take him two or three days, or perhaps a week, to supply the desired information. After all, this is no experiment as regards the East Riding, because it has been provisionally working with the utmost satisfaction to all parties since the year 1902. We find in the East Riding that a registrar would have very little to do. I believe the average number of deeds dealt with is about sixteen a day, to which he would have merely to attach his signature and then file away a copy. I understand that Lord Zetland, on behalf of the North Riding County Council, desires to move an Amendment in Committee dealing with the administration of this Bill, and, subject to the opinion of the noble and learned Lord on the Woolsack, I propose, on behalf of the East Riding, to accept it when the proper time comes. I hope your Lordships will see your way to let this Bill pass. It is strictly 144 non-political, and I believe that the county councils of the three Ridings of Yorkshire are practically unanimous in desiring that it should become law.

LORD HERSCHELL

My Lords, in the absence of my noble friend Lord Allendale, who is unfortunately not able to be present to-day, I have been asked to say a word to define the exact position of the Local Government Board with regard to this Bill. Section 37, subsection (1), of the Yorkshire Registries Act, 1884, as amended by Section 46, subsection (4), of the Local Government Act, 1888, provides for the appointment by the county council, subject only to confirmation by the Lord Chancellor, of a registrar of deeds when and so soon as the office of any then existing registrar falls vacant. It is, therefore, clear that as the Local Government Board have no jurisdiction with regard to the appointment of these officials they are not directly concerned with the contents of the present Bill. At the same time, I am desired to state, on behalf of the Local Government Board, that they see no reason for offering any opposition to the passage of the Bill through your Lordships' House.