Mr. DENNISSasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) under what statutory power the Board of Trade recently refused to grant a considerable number of electric lighting Provisional Orders which were unopposed and the requirements of the Board in respect of which had been fully complied with; and whether this refusal was in any of the cases based on the. merits of the application; (2) why the Board have refused to grant Provisional Orders for enabling the Oldham Corporation to supply electricity in areas adjoining the county borough which have no supply at present, when as recently as August last the Board authorised the corporation of Rotherham to supply electricity in two adjoining urban districts, although the authorities of those districts objected thereto; and (3) why recent electric lighting Provisional Orders of local authorities which have complied with the rules and are unopposed have not been submitted to Parliament?
§ Mr. WARDLEThe decision of the Board of Trade not to proceed with any applications for electric lighting Provisional Orders this Session, with the exception of two in regard to which the Board are satisfied that there is urgency, has been taken as a matter of policy, under the discretion given to the Board by the Electric Lighting Acts, pending any action that may be taken as a result of the Report of the Coal Conservation Sub-committee of the Reconstruction Committee and of that of the Electric Power Supply Committee, and was not in any case based on the merits of the application. The authority granted to the Corporation of Rotherham in August last was to supply electricity in bulk to a neighbouring undertaking and to certain specified premises, and was given by Departmental Order in the interests of economy in generation and of war services.