ORDER OF REFERENCE.

[Thursday, 1st March, 1923.]-Local Legislation Committee, -Ordered, That the Committee of Selection do nominate a Committee, not exceeding Fifteen Members, to be called the Local Legislation Committee, to whom shall be committed all Private Bills promoted by municipal and other local authorities by which it is proposed to create powers relating to Police, Sanitary, or other Local Government regulations in conflict with, deviation from, or excess of the provisions of the general Law.

Ordered, That Standing Orders 119, 150, and 173a apply to all such Bills.

Ordered, That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers, and records.

Ordered, That Four be the quorum.

Ordered, That if the Committee shall report to the Committee of Selection that any Clause of any Bill referred to them (other than Clauses containing Police, Sanitary, or other Local Government regulations) are such as, having regard to the terms of reference, it is not in their opinion necessary or advisable for them to deal with, the Committee of Selection shall thereupon refer the Bill to a Select Committee, who shall consider those Clauses and so much of the Preamble of the Bill as relates thereto, and shall determine the expenditure (if any) to be authorised in respect of the parts of the Bill referred to them. That the Committee shall deal with the remaining Clauses of such Bill, and so much of the Preamble as relates thereto, and shall, determine the period and mode of repayment of any money authorised by the Select Committee to be borrowed and shall report the whole Bill to the House, stating in their Report what parts of the Bill have been considered by each Committee.

Ordered, That the Committee have power, if they so determine, to sit as two Committees, and in that event to apportion the Bills referred to the Committee between the two Committees, each of which shall have the full powers of and be subject to the instructions which apply to the undivided Committee, and that Four be the quorum of each of the two Committees.-(Mr. Secretary Bridgeman.)

The cost of printing and publishing this Report is estimated by the Stationery Office at £39.

COMMITTEE OF SELECTION.

Tuesday, 6th March, 1923.

The Local Legislation Committee is nominated of,-Mr. Wesley Brown, Mr. Cape, Brigadier-General Colvin, Mr. P. Harris, Sir E. Hiley, Mr. Houfton, Mr. Hume, Mr. Irving, Mr. William Jenkins, Mr. Leach, Lieutenant-Colonel Nall, Mr. Raine, Sir T. Robinson, Mr. Russell, and Mr. Murrough Wilson.

COMMITTEE OF SELECTION.

Monday, 19th March, 1923.

LOCAL LEGISLATION COMMITTEE.

Mr. Percy Harris is discharged.
Mr. S. Pattinson is added.

COMMITTEE OF SELECTION.

Wednesday, 28th March, 1923.
LOCAL LEGISLATION COMMITTEE.
Mr. M. J. Wilson is discharged.

Monday, 11th April, 1923.

LOCAL LEGISLATION COMMITTEE.

Brigadier-General Colvin is discharged at the conclusion of the Nottingham Corporation Bill.

Mr. Luke Thomson and Mr. Collingwood Hughes are added at the conclusion of the Nottingham Corporation Bill.

Tuesday, 3rd July, 1923.

LOCAL LEGISLATION COMMITTEE.

Mr. Houfton and Mr. Collingwood Hughes are discharged at the conclusion of the Plymouth Corporation Bill (Lords).

Mr. A. Hopkinson and Major Halstead are added after the conclusion of the same Bill.

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LOCAL LEGISLATION BILLS. SESSION 1923.

Barnsley Corporation.
Birkenhead Corporation.
Chesterfield Corporation.
Maidstone Corporation.

Mitcham Urban District Council.

Nottingham Corporation.

Rawmarsh Urban District Council.

Rugby Urban District Council.

Thornton Urban District Council.

Torquay Corporation.

Broadstairs and St. Peters Urban District Council (Lords).

Chatham Corporation (Lords).

Lytham St. Anne's Corporation (Lords).

Macclesfield Corporation (Lords).

Morley Corporation (Lords).

Plymouth Corporation (Lords).

Stoke-on-Trent Corporation (Lords).

Committee and Private Bill Office.

Notice deposited, Wednesday 28th March, 1923.

LOCAL LEGISLATION COMMITTEE.

The Committee have reported to the Committee of Selection that the Clauses of Part II. (Water) and so much of Clauses 3 and 4 as relate thereto of the Barnsley Corporation Bill are such as having regard to the terms of reference it is not in their opinion necessary or advisable for them to deal with.

THE SELECT COMMITTEE to whom were referred all PRIVATE BILLS promoted by MUNICIPAL AND OTHER LOCAL AUTHORITIES, by which it is proposed to create powers relating to POLICE, SANITARY, or other LOCAL GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS in conflict with, deviation from, or excess of the provisions of the General Law, have agreed to the following SPECIAL REPORT:

1. Your Committee met on 13th March and sat on fifty-two days as one Committee. Acting on the powers given by Order of the House, they also sat as two Committees; Section A sat on four days, and Section B on four days.

2. Instructions were again issued for the preparation of detailed statistics of :

(a) Population, area, rateable and assessable values, rates levied in the district for the last three years, and existing loans

(b) The Staff of the Local Authority.

Particulars were also required as to the Permissive Acts adopted by the Local Authority, and a statement whether any powers have been sought under the Public Health Acts Amendment Act, 1907, and, if so, with what result; these particulars were required in order to show how far the Authority, asking for extended powers, had utilised to the utmost the powers already authorised by Parliament.

3. Ten Bills originating in the House of Commons, and seven originating in the House of Lords have been considered.

4. Most of the Bills which Your Committee have considered during this, as in previous Sessions, contained provisions relating to public health, sanitation and other matters, which were set out in the Special Report in 1922. Your Committee would emphasise what they have pointed out in previous years, that, as many of these powers are now usually sought, a consolidation and extension of the Public Health Acts, 1875-1907, so as to include such powers under general legislation, would be extremely beneficial to local authorities.

5. In the Barnsley Corporation Bill Your Committee, further acting on the powers given by Order of the House, reported to the Committee of Selection that it was not in their opinion necessary or advisable for them to deal with Part II of the Bill. The Committee of Selection accordingly referred that Part of the

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Bill to a Select Committee who considered the clauses and so much of the Preamble as related thereto, and Your Committee reported on the whole Bill stating what Parts had been dealt. with by each.

6. The Chesterfield Corporation Bill was designed to consolidate the local legislation of the Borough which hitherto had been contained in numerous Acts. Certain clauses were allowed which had been in operation in the Borough for a number of years. Your Committee considered, however, that having regard to the local circumstances prevailing in Chesterfield, it would be undesirable in a Bill of this characer to alter legislation with which the inhabitants were familiar and of which no complaint had been brought forward. Your Committee, after hearing full evidence allowed a clause giving the Corporation the power to prohibit squatters or gypsies who proved themselves a nuisance or injurious to health from settling within certain limits. Your Committee also allowed a clause permitting a park to be closed beyond the prescribed period.

In the Nottingham Corporation Bill a clause was inserted giving the Corporation power to appropriate any lands belonging to them for the purpose of a municipal golf course, and by agreement to purchase, acquire or take on lease, and to let on lease, or otherwise to any club, company, body or person, such lands as might be necessary or expedient for the purposes of golf courses; to manage and use golf courses with pavilions and buildings and to make such charges for the use thereof as the Corporation might think fit. The clause further proposed to provide that, in the event of any such golf courses being let, the public should be entitled to use such golf courses on payment of such reasonable charges as the Corporation might prescribe. Your Committee after careful consideration and hearing evidence, disallowed the proposal to purchase, acquire or take on lease lands for the purpose of golf courses and also the proposal to let on lease or otherwise, to any club, company, body or person, such lands as might be necessary or expedient for the purposes of golf courses, but in other respects allowed the clause proposed by the Corporation.

8. The Torquay Corporation Bill included certain regulations relating to disinfection and notification in cases of tuberculosis. These provisions were very carefully considered, and were allowed by Your Committee after full evidence had been given. Your Committee, bearing in mind the peculiar position of Torquay as a health resort, considered it necessary that any person having the charge, management or control of any hotel, boarding-house or lodging-house should compulsorily notify such cases to the proper person. Your Committee also allowed new powers of control over the foreshore and parades belonging to the Corporation.