Question put, and agreed to

"That Clause 3 stand part of the Bill."

"(1) Any land tax assessed on the first day of January, One thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, on any part of the land acquired by the Commissioners under this Act shall, as from the date of acquisition, be deemed to have been redeemed at the price and in accordance with the conditions provided by the Finance Act, 1896, and the Land Tax Acts therein defined, and after the date of acquisition no sum shall be assessed or charged in respect of land tax on the part of the land so acquired. (2) The Commissioners of Inland Revenue shall grant a certificate of exoneration from assessment to land tax of the lands so acquired, and that certificate shall be registered by the officer appointed for the registry of contracts for the redemption of land tax."

Question put, and agreed to

"That Clause 4 stand part of the Bill."

down or of continuing any pipes, sewers, or "(1) All rights of way, rights of laying drains, on, through, or under any of the land acquired by the Commissioners under this Act, and all other rights and easements in or relating to that land, shall be extinguished, and all the soil of those ways, and the property in the pipes, sewers, and drains, shall vest in the Commissioners. (2) Any person may recover from the Commissioners such compensation (if any) as they may be entitled to under any of the provisions of the Lands Clauses Acts for any rights or property of which they may be deprived, in pursuance of this section, and the amount of that compensation shall be determined in manner provided by the Lands Clauses Acts, as modified for the purpose of their incorporation with this Act. (3) Nothing in this section shall affect any sewers or drains vested in the Urban District Council of Cadoxton-juxta-Barry.'

Question put, and agreed to

"That Clause 5 stand part of the Bill."

"(1) For the purpose of the purchase and acquisition of land under this Act the Lands Clauses Acts shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, be incorporated with this Act, with the following exceptions and modifications: (a) The provisions relating to the sale of superfluous land and access to the special Act and Section one hundred and thirty-three of the Lands Clauses Consolidation Act, 1845 (relating to land tax and poor rate) shall not be incorporated with this Act: (b) In the construction of this Act and of the incorporated Acts, this Act shall be deemed to be the special Act,' and the Commissioners shall be deemed to be the promoters of the undertaking' (c) The bond required by Section eighty-five of the Lands Clauses Consolidation Act, 1845, shall be under the common seal of the Commissioners, and shall be sufficient without the addition of the sureties mentioned in that section: (d) All claims for compensation made upon the Commissioners under this Act, or any Act incorporated herewith, shall, if the person claiming has no greater interest in the land in respect of which compensation is claimed than as a tenant from year to year, or as a leaseholder for any term of which not more than eighteen months remain unexpired at the time at which the claim is "The Commissioners may erect all such made, be determined in manner provided by buildings, execute all such works, and do all Section one hundred and twenty-one of the such other things, as may in their opinion be Lands Clauses Consolidation Act, 1845. (2) The necessary or proper for the purpose of propowers of the Commissioners for the compul-viding Customs, Mercantile Marine, or other sory purchase of land under this Act shall cease after the expiration of three years from the passing of this Act."

"The Commissioners and their surveyors, officers, and workmen may at all reasonabla time in the daytime, on giving twenty-four hours' notice in writing, enter on any of the land which the Commissioners are authorised to acquire under this Act for the purpose of surveying or valuing the land."

Question put, and agreed to

"That Clause 6 stand part of the Bill."

public offices upon the land acquired by them under this Act, and appropriating any such land for any of those purposes."

the resolution with regard to that allowance has passed through Committee, and there is a clause giving effect to that recommendation. I merely make this explanation in order to say that I do not any longer oppose this clause of the Bill.

DR. CLARK (Caithness): Under the clause, as it now stands (I do not want to mention any particular cases, would age become an inability? I know of one case in which age certainly is inability.

an

THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. A. GRAHAM MURRAY, Buteshire): I am quite satisfied as to that.

Question put, and agreed to

"That Clause 2 stand part of the Bill." "Upon a report prepared at the instance of the Secretary for Scotland by the Lord PresiIdent of the Court of Session and the Lord Justice Clerk for the time being, declaring that a sheriff depute in Scotland is, by reason of inability or misbehaviour, unfit for his office, it shall be lawful for the Secretary for Scotland to issue an order for his removal from office, provided always that such order shall lie before both Houses of Parliament for a period of four consecutive weeks while Parliament is sitting,

and if either House of Parliament within that

period resolve that such order ought not to take effect, the same shall be of no effect, but otherwise shall come into operation at the expiration of the said month.

Question put, and agreed to

"That the following new clause stand part of the Bill."

DR. CLARK: I am not strongly opposed to this going on the Consolidated fund, but would it not be better, if you are disposing of a judge, as you are practically doing, that the question of salary should come before this House? If the Bill passes in this form, then the House of Commons will not be able to express an opinion; whereas if it comes on the Estimates, along with the other superannuations, then it might be considered and discussed. I think it would be better that the matter should come before the House, and perhaps the Lord Advocate will explain the reason why it is placed on the Consolidated fund.

MR. GRAHAM MURRAY: The reason is a very simple one; this Bill puts these sheriffs' annuities on exactly the same basis as other sheriffs' annuities are, and it would be a very exceptional thing to do to put them on a different footing.

DR. CLARK: This Order will lie upon the Table of both Houses, and probably it will not become law without Under there being further discussion. the Act of 1853, the pension is to be gained by service, and that Act is automatic in its operation; but the Treasury has conceded the principle contained in this new clause, for which they deserve our thanks. During the last Parliament we had three sheriffs who were members of the Board of Provision, and who drew £150 a year for looking into the office once or twice every fortnight. When the Board of Provision became the Local Government Board these three men were

"This Act shall not apply to sheriffs sub-pensioned off for life at half of their

stitute."

Question put

salary. One of them had served two years and the other three years. So that three of our sheriffs having served at the utmost three years, get a pension

"That the following new clause stand part for life at the rate of half their salary. of the Bill."

"If a sheriff is removed under the preceding section before he has completed ten years' service on the ground that he is, by reason of inability, unfit for his office, it shall be lawful for the Treasury to grant him an annuity of such amount as they shall consider just in all the circumstances, but in no case exceeding three-tenths of the salary payable to such sheriff, and any such annuity shall be charged upon and payable out of the same fund and in the same manner as annuities to sheriffs are paid and charged under the first section of the Public Revenue and Consolidated Fund Charges Act, 1854."

These pensions will not go on the Estimates. I will not, however, press the matter beyond saying that I think that pensions of this kind for exceptional service-not earned by time, but granted under special circumstances should come before the House.

MR. GRAHAM MURRAY moved the following Amendment—

"Line 4, after the word 'amount,' add the words for such period.""

THE CHAIRMAN OF WAYS AND MEANS: The question is that—

MR. CALDWELL: This Amendment which was brought before the House with enables the Treasury, in the case of a the most unswerving determination; and, sheriff being removed for inability, to in fact, I may say that he prevented grant the pension for life, or to restrict many Bills of this kind from passing it to any number of years they may think during the time he was a Member of proper. this House. The matter was very fully discussed upon two occasions in connection with the proposed sale of the Greenwich Hospital Estates, and it was also discussed in connection with a Bill which I brought into this House. The argument used was that the country ought not to allow any quasi public body, over which it possesses any statutory fact, that it is the duty of the State to power, to part with that property-in prevent these bodies from parting with property where they already possess it,

"In line 4, after the word amount,' the words 'for such period'

be added.

Question put, and agreed to, that the words proposed stand part of the clause.

Question put, and agreed to

"That the clause as amended stand part of though we were not prepared to go so

the Bill."

Moved

far as to say that the State ought to buy at the price it would have to pay if it came into possession by purchase. I do not propose to speak at any length on

"That the word 'depute' be omitted from the subject, but if others divide the

the title of the Bill."

House I shall certainly vote with them. I believe, however, that it is not intended to carry out actively the policy of further parting with estates, and that being so, I shall not trouble the House.

MR. KEARLEY (Devonport): May I ask the right honourable Gentleman one question? I see it is laid down that the University will not part with the pro

UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGE ESTATES Perty without obtaining the assent of

BILL.

Order for Second Reading read.

the Board of Agriculture. It is proposed, also, in this Bill, that it shall be no longer necessary that the University sur

Motion made, and Question proposed-veyor shall give a report on the property

before the assent of the Board of Agriculture is given. That, I think, is the case in clause 5. Under present circumstances, when the Board of Agriculture gives its assent it makes rather a heavy levy on the purchaser in the way of a fee, and I want to know on what grounds the Board of Agriculture feels itself entitled to demand a heavy fee I have had this class of property recently, and in purchasing some of order to get the assent of the Board of Agriculture, I was surprised to find that the Board of Agriculture insisted on a fee of 25 guineas, in addition to making the purchaser pay the whole of the ordinary

"That the Bill be now read a second time." *SIR C. DILKE: This Bill is one which I think ought not to pass without some few words being said with regard to it. It extends and increases the powers of universities and colleges, which are quasi public bodies, and if it were intended in any way to encourage these for giving its assent? bodies to part with their land, and to sub- experience stitute personal property for it, there would be very strong objection to it. In times past Bills of this kind were always most hotly opposed, first by Mr. Mill, and afterwards by Mr. Fawcett, who fought every Bill of this description

of

expenses, and I do not see myself why | landlords, they are not capable of taking we are not entitled to know whether this is a legal claim on the part of the Board of Agriculture, or whether it is simply a claim for services rendered. I have paid my fee, and, so far as I am concerned, there is an end of it; but I certainly think that people who have dealings with this property should know why it is that the Board of Agriculture charge a charge a fee, because it is understood that the assent is practically formal.

that personal charge which is met with' in the case of ordinary landlords. I see nothing at all democratic in the objection of my right honourable Friend the Member for the Forest of Dean. I take it that the Bill is really a facilitating Measure. It does not create new powers; it only makes easier the exercise of powers which already exist. I should like to ask the right honourable Gentleman the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the universities and corporations concerned have been consulted, whether they approve of what the Bill proposes to do, and whether the Bill has been brought in with their knowledge?

MR. J. PARKER SMITH (Lanarkshire, Partick): I believe that this Bill will be welcomed by all who have to do with Universities. I am rather surprised at the objection which the right honourable MR. J. A. PEASE: Mr. Speaker, there Baronet opposite has taken to this is just one point I should like to put to Measure, because the position of the ques the right honourable Gentleman. I am tion differs so absolutely and entirely sure no one believes that the right from what it was in the time of Mr. John honourable Gentleman would consent to Stuart Mill. At that time agricultural any change of investment, unless it were land was regarded by everybody as a a suitable change, but it is the duty of desirable investment. It was bought as honourable Members of this House to an investment with perfect confidence, and with an unshakable belief that it protect public interests. I quite approve, would go on rising in value; but things if any Government Department is to be have changed very much in the last 25 held responsible, that the Board of Agriyears, and now agricultural land is not culture should be that Department. But at all a suitable investment for colleges, I understand that, under the procedure as it was at that time, and the number of of this House, it would not be competent suitable investments have increased so to raise any question with regard to the much that people are not anxious to conconsent given by the Board of Agricultinue investing in land. The investor ture to any change of investment. There wants to put his eggs into several baskets, fore, we should not have the opportunity and not have them all in the basket of from time to time of criticising any conland, and I think it is very important sent given by the Board of Agriculture that the Universities should be able to which was opposed to the public interest. participate in this more extended field of The question I should like to ask the investment now open to them. right honourable Gentleman is: can he arrange to put a nominal Vote on the Paper. so that any points which might arise may be raised in Supply? This would give the House power to place, if necessary, a check on a check on the Board of Agriculture.

MR. E. ROBERTSON I think there is but a small number of Members of this House who are personally interested in the subject-matter of this Bill. I should like to say, with all respect to the great names mentioned by my right honourable Friend the Member for the Forest of Dean, that my experience of college estates is now of 30 years' duration, and I have never ceased, in all that time, wondering why the college with which I was connected should have so much capital locked up in laac. Although colleges are most benevolent

Amendment proposed

"To leave out the word 'now,' and at the end of the Question to add the words, 'upon this day six months.””—Mr. Lewis.)

MR. LEWIS: The point which has been raised by the right honourable Baronet the Member for the Forest