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17
Overhead Wires.—A Select Committee of the House of
Commons having been appointed to cousider this question
the Vestry adopted the following views: That the Vestries
and District Boards should be the local authorities for the
purpose of the regulation of these wires, the Metropolitan
Board of Works or the Board of Trade being constituted
the final Court of Appeal in the matter; that all wires
should be registered with the local authorities, that penalties
shall be attached to any infringement of the Act to be
passed dealing with the question, and that the wires shall
be rateable and rated.
Water Companies' Charges.—Two bills were brought
before Parliament for dealing with the question of the
basis of charge of the Water Companies, one in the House
of Commons introduced by Mr. Torrens defining the words
"annual value" in the Waterworks Clauses Act, 1847, as
the rateable value of the Valuation Lists; and one in the
House of Lords introduced by Earl Camperdown, which
provides that either quarterly or half-yearly the Company
shall deliver to the person liable to pay the Water Rate, a
statement of the particulars of the demand showing how
the total sum is made up, and also providing that the
Water Company shall not cut off the water supply until
they have obtained an order granted on a summons to show
cause why the supply of water should not be cut off, which
order shall state when the cutting off may take place, as
well as the reason for putting the power of cutting off
in force.
The Vestry were of opinion that both these Bills contain
reforms which are urgently needed, and they therefore
presented petitions to Parliament in their favour. Mr.
Torrens' Bill passed into law, but that of Earl Camperdown
was dropped after its second reading in the House of
Commons.