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109
The initiation of the Advertisement Rating Bill, which
has now become law, was largely due to the personal action
of Mr. J. E. Smith, Vestry Clerk of St. Margaret and St.
John, Westminster, and the Vestry acknowledged the
services rendered by that gentleman in the matter by a
unanimous vote of thanks.
Some remarks on the "betterment" clause of the London
Streets (Strand Improvement) Bill are given under the next
heading, and the action taken by the Vestry with regard to
the Central London and London Central Railway Bills is
mentioned under the heading of "Parliamentary Schemes,
Session, 1890."
THE PRINCIPLE OF "BETTERMENT."
A clause inserted by the London County Council in their
Strand Improvement Bill, for the purpose of creating in
favour of the Council a perpetual rent charge upon property
within a specified area, varying in amount according to the
extent to which the property may be assumed to be increased
in value by the improvement, has naturally created much
attention, for the clause was avowedly inserted in order to
set a precedent for future street improvements.
The Vestry carefully considered the question, and came to
the conclusion that whatever merits "bettermentmay"
possess as an abstract principle, the manner in which it is
proposed to be applied to the particular improvement referred
to is open to objection.
Upon a careful consideration of the clause, it appeared to
be evident that considerable difficulty would arise in the
practical working out of the scheme. In the first place, the