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18
NATIONAL TELEPHONE BILL.
This Bill was promoted by the National Telephone Company,
but was not proceeded with beyond the initial stages.
LONDON STREETS AND BUILDINGS BILL.
This was a most important Bill, the object of which was
declared by the preamble to be, to amend the existing provisions
of the Building Acts which were complicated and in
some respects doubtful and insufficient, to secure the construction
and improvement of streets and buildings in a
satisfactory manner, and to conduce to public convenience by
consolidating and amending the existing law.
The Bill consisted of a Preamble, 15 Parts (containing
in all 192 Sections), and 4 Schedules. The Acts proposed
to be consolidated extended from the year 1844 to the year
1893. The Bill proposed to repeal the whole of the existing
legislation, and to provide one Act for dealing with the
subject. It was referred by the Board to a Special Committee,
consisting of the Members of the Law and Parliamentary
and Works Committees, for consideration and
report, and the Committee, after an elaborate examination
of the measure, presented a Report, in which they drew
attention to certain provisions which were in their opinion
not suited to the central areas of the Metropolis, and a
communication embodying the views of the Board upon the
subject was ultimately forwarded to the London County
Council.
At the time of writing this Report the Bill stands referred
to a Select Committee of the House of Commons,
and the London County Council have already intimated
their intention of making considerable amendments in, and
modifications of, the same.