REPORT

BY THE

Joint Select Committee of the House of Lords and the House of Commons appointed to consider all Private Bills in the present Session, for the exclusive purpose of consolidating existing Acts of Parliament

BEING A REPORT UPON THE

NORTH METROPOLITAN ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY (CONSOLIDATION) BILL [H.L.].

Ordered, by the House of Commons, to be Printed,

27 June, 1928.

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1928

Price 1d. Net

BY THE

Joint Select Committee of the House of Lords and the House of Commons appointed to consider all Private Bills in the present Session, for the exclusive purpose of consolidating the provisions of existing Acts of Parliament

BEING A REPORT UPON THE

NORTH METROPOLITAN

ELECTRIC POWER

SUPPLY (CONSOLIDATION) BILL [H.L.].

ORDERED TO REPORT THAT :

1. The Committee consider that the Bill as amended by them represents the enactments consolidated, and is pure consolidation except for certain provisions to which special attention is drawn in the appendix hereto, and which the Committee consider are necessary for the consolidation of the law.

2. It was brought to the notice of the Committee that certain changes in the phraseology of the existing enactments had been introduced in order to make the language of the consolidating measure consistent and clearer, and in one instance an obvious slip in a former Act has been corrected.

3. In pursuance of Standing Order No. 157A of the House of Commons, reports from the Minister of Transport and the Commissioners of Works on the Bill were referred to the Committee and considered by them. The Committee found that the Minister's suggestions on Clause 10 had been given effect to by amendments made in the Bill as laid before them. As regards the observations on Clause 54, the Committee after explanation allowed the Clause; and as regards the last recommendation of the Report, the Minister had intimated to the Committee that he did not press it. The report of the Commissioners of Works stated that the Commissioners had no observations to make on the provisions of the Bill which relate to the generation of electricity.

The cost of printing and publishing this Report is estimated by the Stationery Office at £2 8s. 6d.

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4. The Committee examined the allegations contained in the preamble of the Bill, and amended it so as to make it consistent with the provisions of the Bill as passed by the Committee and found it as amended to be true. They went through the Bill and made such amendments as appeared necessary for consolidation.

5. The Committee have directed that the Bill be reported with amendments to the House of Lords.

APPENDIX.

POINTS TO WHICH THE COMMITTEE CONSIDER THAT THE ATTENTION OF PARLIAMENT SHOULD BE DRAWN.

Clause 54.-Corrects an error in the Act of 1920 and varies the existing enactment by substituting fourteen days before the payment of dividend" for "fourteen days before the declaration of dividend" as the period during which the register of transfers can be closed.

Clauses 68 and 69.-These Clauses have involved an entire redrafting of the enactments consolidated, to avoid apparent confusion in the existing law.

Clause 85 (8).-This provision does not appear in the existing Act, but it is here introduced in order to make clear the actual state of the law, and to remove any ambiguity which might arise from the repeal and reenactment of provisions which themselves repealed and reenacted provisions of previous Acts.

Fifth Schedule.-This Schedule is necessary in order to make sure that the repeal of the Company's previous Acts does not prejudice the existing rights of the Company, its shareholders and others.