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49
bill for creating an Improvement Rate or Charge on the owners of
property. To give effect to this resolution, we prepared and submitted
to the Council a bill with respect to the provisions of which
we had passed the following resolutions:—
(a) That the provisions of the bill be made wide enough to cover
future repayments of capital borrowed in the past by the Council and
interest thereon, as well as repayments of future capital and interest.
(b) That power be taken by the Council to levy the owner's rate
up to an amount not exceeding 4d. in the £.
(c) That the amount to be raised in any year in respect of the
owner's rate shall be applied as follows—(1.) To the payment of one
half of the annual charge incurred in relation to the following
specific improvements, viz., the new street from Holborn to the
Strand, the southern approach to the Tower-bridge, and the Retherhithe-ferry;
(2) To payments in respect of any improvements and
works of public utility, effected or to be effected by the Council,
charged or chargeable to capital account as permanent improvements.
(d) That the charge on owners of property shall be deducted by
every payer of rent from every receiver of rent pro rata.
(e) That the amount of the rate shall be collected through the
machinery of the local authorities, unless an agreement be arrived
at with the Government for the collection along with the property
tax.
The bill having been amended and approved by the Council was
introduced in due course, but when it came on for first reading on
the 9th February a point of order was raised by Mr. J. Lowther,
who objected to the bill being introduced or proceeded with as a
private bill, on the ground that it was in contravention of the
standing order 194, which, as amended by the late Government in
1891, is as follows:—"All bills promoted by the London County
Council, containing power to raise money, shall be introduced as
public bills; but after being read a second time by the House shall
be referred to a Select Committee to be nominated by the Committee
of Selection, in like manner as private bills." In the result the
Speaker ruled that the introduction of the measure as a private bill
could not be sanctioned. As the main object of the bill was to
provide funds towards the carrying out of improvements, and it
could not be proceeded with except as a public bill, it appeared to
rest with the Government to deal with the matter and to take such
steps as would enable the necessary funds to be raised, either by the
introduction of a Government bill, by making some other provision
as to. London taxation, or by the amendment or suspension of the
standing order to allow of the Council's bill proceeding as a private
bill. From the correspondence which passed between the late
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