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form a topic of contention between rival political parties and
the Vestry, therefore, once more express their hope that any
Bill which may be introduced into Parliament will be the
outcome of an impartial and exhaustive preliminary enquiry
OVERHEAD WIRES
The Select Committee appointed by the House of Commons
to consider the law relating to the control over Telephone
Telegraph, and other Wires, after hearing several witnesses,
agreed upon a report, but no legislation has yet resulted In
the meantime the number of overhead wires is continually
increasing, and local authorities are left without any power
of inspection or general control
Among other recommendations, the Committee suggest
that the Postmaster-General should have a discretionary
power to give notice of his intention to erect any telegraphic
wire before, instead of after, obtaining the consent of the road
authority, an opportunity being afforded to objecting parties
to state their views to a competent tribunal, such as a county
Court Judge, with power of appeal to the Railway Commissioners,
as at present In St James's nearly all the poet
office lines are underground, the vast majority ot the overhead
wires belonging to a Telephone Company or to private
owners, and being erected without statutory authority or
control As the law now stands the local authority has no
power to remove these unauthorised wires, which if abandoned
may become a fruitful source of danger The Select committee
propose that the licenses of the Post Office, such as owners or
renters of telephone wires, should be placed under the same
restrictions as the Postmaster-general, and submit a series
of further suggestions as follows:—
Bye-laws for the regulation of all wires, as to substance, length
of span, durability, and other matters, and for their identification
and inspection should be male for the whole of London by the