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25
TRANSFER OF LAND.
Under section 20 of the Land Transfer Act, 1897, power is
given to Her Majesty, by Order in Council, to declare, as respects
any County or part of a County, that, after a certain specified
day, registration of land shall be compulsory on sale; the Privy
Council had given the London County Council notice under the
Act that it was proposed to make an order applying the Act to
the County of London, and, in November last, the Council wrote
inquiring the views of the local authorities and others as to the
desirability of putting in force an order of the kind. In answer
thereto the Board caused a letter to be written expressing an
opinion that the registration of titles under the Act was unnecessary;
that it would cause additional expense and delay
in the buying, selling, and mortgaging of property, and
that it would be prejudicial to all titles that could not be
registered as indefeasible under the Act; dissenting therefore
from the proposal. Twenty-one other local authorities expressed
similar views; twelve were in favour of the order being applied,
others declined to express an opinion, and, out of a total of
sixty one replies received from Vestries, Railway Companies,
Bankers, Building Societies and others, thirteen only were in
favour of the proposal. The Council, nevertheless, by a large
majority, voted in favour of it on the understanding however
that the order will be so framed as to take effect according to
the terms of a letter received from the Privy Council, dated
18th January, as follows:—
" Privy Council Office,
Whitehall,
18th January, 1898.
"Sir,—1 am directed by the Lord President of the
Council to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the
17th inst., with reference to the draft of a proposed Order
in Council, for applying Part III. of the Land Transfer Act,
1897, to the County of London. In reply, I am to state
for the information of the London County Council that the
form which the final Order in Council for giving effect o
the compulsory clauses of the Land Transfer Act,1879,
will take, will no doubt be settled with due regard to any
suggestions which may be received from the County Council .
But the intention at present is that the Order shall
made to take effect progressively according to a division
the County into convenient areas not less than four in
number.