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64
The Bills which the County Council introduced
into Parliament, in the Session of 1895, for the
transfer to them of the undertakings of the London
Water Companies, have been proceeded with during
the present session, and on tLie '24th March the
motion for the second reading of the Chelsea
Water Transfer Bill wns negatived by a majority of
287 to 125, and motions for the second reading of
the other Bills were also negatived.
The Government, a week previously, had introduced
a Bill of their own dealing with the water
supply of the Metropolis and the surrounding
districts. Lord James of Hereford, in introducing
it, said that it proposed to create a water trust consisting
of 30 members and representative of all the
various interests affected, and to give the London
County Council 16 seats in the new body. The
new body would receive very wide powers ; it would
have to deliberate in regard to the acquisition of
the interests of the Water Companies who must
receive compensation, the terms of which would
have to be arranged by negociation, and would
require the final sanction of Parliament after all
the parties concerned had been heard. As a preliminary
the Water Trust would be invested with
all the control over the Water Companies now
vested in the London County Council, which might
be usefully exercised until the property passed into
their hands.
Water Companies' Charges.—In December, a
letter was received from the Vestry of St George,
Hanover Square, asking co-operation in endeavouring
to obtain legislation to prevent the Water
Companies increasing their charges for water,
which are based on annual value, by adopting tho
increased values in the new Valuation List, and
the Vestry decided to co-operate in the matter.