Gravesend Gas Bill—Neath Harbour Bill
As amended, considered; to be read the third time.
Private Bills
Ordered, That Standing Orders 39, 129, and 230 be suspended, and that the time for depositing Petitions and Memorials against Private Bills, or against any Bill to confirm any Provisional Order or Provisional Certificate, and for depositing duplicates of any Documents relating to any Bill to confirm any Provisional Order or Provisional Certificate, he extended to the first day on which the House shall sit after the Recess.—( The Chairman of Ways and Means.)
New Standing Order (Petitions Against River Conservancy Bills)
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said he bad to ask the House to amend the Standing Orders on a point which was very strongly brought under the notice of hon. Members in connection with the Wolverhampton Water Bill,† notably by the speech of the hon. Member for North Shropshire. The effect of the proposed new Standing Order would be that any landowner or conservancy body charged with the maintenance of the channel of a river, and with the duty of seeing that water continued to flow down a particular course, would be entitled, on obtaining the consent of the Court of Referees, to put in an appearance against any Bill that proposed to interfere with any underground water, as was the case in the Wolverhampton Bill. In that scheme the Corporation proposed to sink a number of deep wells, the result of which it was alleged would have been to have taken water from a very large district. None of the occupiers of that
district would under the rules of the House have been able to appear against the Bill. It seemed to him that that was unjust, and therefore, with the consent of the members of the Court of Referees, he bad drafted this Standing Order.† See preceding volume of Debates, p. 1280.
Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the following be a new Standing Order to follow Standing Order 134C:—
134D. Ordered, Where any owner, lessee, or occupier, or where any conservancy or other authority charged with the control of river or other waters, petitions against a Bill alleging that under its provisions any water or water supply of which they may legally avail themselves will be diminished or injuriously affected, it shall be competent to the Referees on Private Bills, if they think lit, to admit the petitioners to be heard against the Bill or any part thereof.—(The Chairman of Ways and Means.)
said he agreed that the Amendment was a desirable one, but he would like to know, if a town like Wolverhampton proposed to take water from a whole county, whether the county council, acting in the interests of the inhabitants, would be allowed to petition against the Bill, which affected their water-shed area.
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They have an absolute power already to appear without going before the Court of Referees.
And would district councils have like powers?
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I am not quite certain; I rather think they have already.
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said that as Chairman of the Canal Association he supported the new Standing Order, because he believed it would greatly assist in safeguarding our water communications.
Question put and agreed to.
Ordered, That the said Order be a Standing Order of the House.
Drainage And Improvement Of Lands (Ireland) Provisional Order Bill
Read a second time, and committed.
Local Government Provisional Orders (No 2)
Bill to confirm certain Provisional Orders of the Local Government Board relating to Bilston, Buxton, Leicester (two), Milton-next-Sittingbourne, Neath, and Newton-in-Mackerfield, ordered to be brought in by Mr. Grant Lawson and Mr. Long.
Local Government Provisional Orders (No 2) Bill
"To confirm certain Provisional Orders of the Local Government Board relating to Bilston, Buxton, Leicester (two), Milton-next-Sittingbourne, Neath, and Newton-in-Mackerfield," presented accordingly, and read the first time; to be referred to the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills, and to be printed. [Bill 140.]
Leatherhead Gas Bill
Reported, with Amendments; Report to lie upon the Table, and to be printed.
Gas Undertakings
Return ordered, "relating to all authorised Gas Undertakings in the United Kingdom, other than those of Local Authorities, for the year ended
the 31st day of December 1900 (in continuation of Parliamentary Paper, No. 143, of Session 1900."—( Mr. Gerald Balfour.)
Gas Undertakings (Local Authorities)
Return ordered, "relating to all author bed Gas Undertakings in the United Kingdom belonging to Local Authorities for the year ended the 25th day of March. 1901 (in continuation of Parliamentary Paper, No. 144, of Session 1900)."—( Mr. Gerald Balfour.)
Electric Lighting Provisional Orders
Copies ordered, "of Memorandum stating the nature of the Proposals contained in the Provisional Orders included in the Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (No. 2 Bill):"
"Of Memorandum stating the nature of the Proposals contained in the Provisional Orders included in the Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (No. 3) Bill:"
"Of Memorandum stating the nature of the Proposals contained in the Provisional Orders included in the Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (No. 4) Bill:"
"And, of Memorandum stating the nature of the Proposals contained in the Provisional Orders included in the Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (No. 5) Bill."—(Mr. Gerald Balfour.)
Dublin Corporation Bill
Ordered, That the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills do examine the Dublin Corporation Bill, with respect to compliance with the Standing Orders relative to Private Bills.—( Mr. Wyndham.)
Electric Lighting (London) Bill
Ordered, That the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills do examine the Electric Lighting (London) Bill, with, respect to compliance with the Standing Orders relative to Private Bills.—( Mr. Gerald Balfour.)