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respect to the Chairman and Aldermen of the County Council to the
Mayor and Aldermen of a Metropolitan Borough. The Act in question
incorporates certain provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1882.
The 1888 Act provides that in London the Aldermen shall not be
more than one-sixth of the number of Councillors. The Municipal
Corporations Act provides that the Aldermen shall be one-third the
number of Councillors. From the answer given by Mr. Balfour to a
question in the House of Commons it appears that in Metropolitan
Boroughs the number of Aldermen is to be one-third of the number of
Councillors.
The clause provides that the law relating to the constitution,
election, and proceedings of administrative Vestries and to the electors
and members and auditors thereof, shall apply in the case of the
Borough Councils. One-third of the Council will therefore go out of
office every year. It does not appear that the Mayor would have the
power of appointing a Deputy Mayor, as is the case under the Muni
cipal Corporations Act, nor that the provisions of that Act authorising
the remuneration of the Mayor apply.
Clause 3 provides that the first election of Borough Councillors
shall be held on the 1st of November, 1900, or on such later day as
may be fixed by the Lord President of the Council. It also provides
that the ordinary day of election shall be the 1st of November in
each year.
Clause 4 provides for the transfer to the Borough Councils of the
powers, duties, property, and liabilities of Vestries and District Boards.
For raising loans the sanction of the Local Government Board is to be
substituted for that of the London County Council.
By a scheme to be prepared under the Act the Public Libraries and
Baths and Wash-houses Commissioners, and Burial Boards, are to be
abolished, and their powers, &c., transferred to the Borough Council.
The clause provides that any power relating to some particular parish
may be exercised and performed either throughout the borough or in a
limited part thereof as may be provided by a scheme under the Act
The Public Libraries Acts have been adopted in all the parishes in this
District except Tooting, and it might be held that such scheme may
extend the provisions of the Libraries Acts to Tooting. In view of
sub-section 4 of the clause this is, however,. doubtful. The Bill repeals
Section 22 of the Public Libraries Act, 1892, which gave power to
1 )istrict Boards to take steps for the adoption of the Act, with the proviso
that where a parish in the district had adopted the Act such parish
should be treated as if it were outside the District.
Clause 5 provides for the transfer of some comparatively