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were of opinion that the Bill should be amended by providing that
there should be a time limit to the payment of compensation to
licenses not renewed ; that the powers of the local Justices should be
continued as heretofore, and that all licensed premises should be
valued immediately and contributions to the Valuation Fund made on
the values. The suggestions of the Council were not adopted, and
the Bill received the Royal assent on the 15th August, 1904.
Local
Authorities
(Taxation and
purchase of
Land).
81. The objects of this Bill were :—
To require owners of land to declare the unimproved
value thereof, or otherwise to ascertain such value;
To confer upon local authorities power to levy upon
owners of land a rate upon its ascertained unimproved value for the
benefit of the locality ;
To confer upon local authorities power to acquire such land at such
ascertained value, but subject to certain limits as to the amount to be
expended in the exercise thereof.
To confer upon local authorities certain defined powers of user of
land so acquired, in order to secure to the community the benefit of any
subsequent rise in its capital value and to the tenant the full benefit of
all capital expended by him on buildings or improvements.
82. The Council made no order with regard to the Bill, which
was not proceeded with. A similar Bill was introduced during the
present Session, and Councillors Glegg and Welton were appointed
this Council's representatives to attend a Conference convened by the
Hackney Borough Council. 17 Borough Councils and 15 Boards of
Guardians were represented at the Conference, and the following
resolutions were passed, viz.:—
1. “That this Conference of representatives of Metroplitan Borough
Councils and Boards of Guardians heartily approves of the principles of
the Local Authorities (Taxation and Purchase of Land) Bill now before
Parliament on the following grounds :—
(a) That it would provide a new and just source of local
revenue to the relief of the rates on houses and other buildings.
(b) That it would remove the present unnecessary
restrictions and reduce the present ruinous expenses whenever
tend ?s needed for public purposes.
(c) That it would enable Local Authorities to acquire land
for building and other purposes, and thus to secure a far better