The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-10 00:00:00

MSTROPOLITAN MUNICIP4LI27I[S.

A numerously attended meeting of gentlemen
wee held on Tuesday, at 6, Whitehall, for the purpose of
considering the bill about to be introduced into the House
of Commons for establishing municipal boroughs within
the metropolis. Mr. T. H. N4,'AtAla (Chelsea) took the
chair, and amongst those present were Mr. J. S. Mill,
M.P., the Hon. F. Bye', Mr. J. W. Probyn, Dr. Hard-
wicke, Dr. Rendle, the Rev. Dr. Burns Mr. George
Horton (the Registrar-General's Department), Mr. S
Hughes, F.G.S., Mr. H. M. Vane, Mr. Thomas Beggs,
Mr. Bonthron, Mr. Knewstich, Mr. J. C. Buckmaster,
Mr. Dugald ameron, Mr. J. D. Macleod, Mr. R. B.
Starr, Mr. A. Hutson, Mr. James Heal, and many other
influential persons.
Mr. H. FOWLER (the secretary) informed the meeting
that Mr. C. Buxton, M.P., Mr. M. R. Grant Duff, M.P.,
Mr. C. W. Martin, M.P., Mr. J. S. Mill, M.P., Mr. J.
D. Reardon, M.P., Mr. George Tomlin., M.P., Mr. J.
White, M.P., Mr. Thomas Hughes, M.P., Dr. Lankester,
Mr. J. Fitzjames Stephen, and about sixty other gentle.
men had consented to join the committee forming to assist
in the efforts being made to, carry the measure through
parliament.
Letters were then read from Earl Grey, Lord Taunton,
and Lord Stanley, all of whom expressed their intention
of giving the subject their earnest consideration. Earl
Grey thought the question one of deep importance, and
well worthy the fullest attention. Lord Stanley stated
that he would consider, with every desire to support the
scheme, and Lord Taunton promised to give it his impar-
tial consideration.

Mr. MILL, M.P. informed the meeting that the parlia-
mentary committee obtained by Mr. Ayrton, and of which
he (Mr. Mill) was a member, hall confined the first por-
tion of their inquiry to the limited subject of the
taxation of the metropolis. Having disposed of that part
of the question the committee were now devoting their
attention to the present government of the metropolis,
and were in fact considering the plan contained in the bill
which the meeting bad been called to discuss. Several
gentlemen, Dr. Farr, Mr. Horton, Mr. Beggs? and Mr.
had given evidence in favour of the principle of the
measure, and be thought the meeting should take the ne-
cessary steps for collecting new facts to be brought before
the committee, and producing evidence in support of those
already adduced. The sittings of the committee had been
suspended to allow Mr. Ayrton to sit on an election com-
mittee, which had now concluded its labours, and no doubt
the other committee would be immediately resumed. The
duties of the committee would be to trace out and lay bare
the faults of the existing system, and report whether the
metropolis could not be better governed under a more con-
centrated form.

Mr. BEAL inquired whether the committee wished to 11
have further evidence on the failure of the present system
of metropolitan government.
Mr. liu.L—The committee will be glad to hear any new
facts, or confirmation of those that have been already pro-
duced. Any gentleman who can assist the inquiry will
receive every attention. No doubt much more can be said
against the present system of metropolitan government ;
and it is equally certain that many persons are desirous of
attacking this or any other scheme of improvement. It
will be well, therefore, that the came for the bill should be
strengthened as much as potable.
Mr. BEAL mentioned that Mr. Mill himself had offered
to give evidence ; and if any gentleman present or other
person felt competent to lay any new facts before the
committee they should communicate with Mr. Mill with-
out delay.
Several gentlemen stated that the most overwhelming
evidence in proof of the utter failure of the existing system
could be laid before the committee—in fact, little, if any-
thing, could be alleged in its favour.
. . . . .

Mr. MILL said it was highly important that a better form
of government should be established, and he hoped, there-
fore, the fullest information would be laid before the com-
mittee without delay.
An inquiry being made as to the feeling of existing ves-
tries on the subject, it was stated that some time since •
ti meeng was held at St. James's vestry of delegates from
several metropolitan vestries, and the principle of the
measure was affirmed by a unanimous vote. Subsequently
a report of that meeting was prepared and sent to every ves-
tryman in London, and very few replies of an antagonistic
character had been received.

Mr. BECKMASTER asserted that nothing could be worse
than the existing system, but that the less important per-
sons in the vestries were afraid of any measure that would
bring about a better state of things. He had never heard
an intelligent man say • word in favour of the present form
of government, which was as inefficient as it could possibly
be. As regarded local rates, for instance, there was no
proper audit ; and he knew of a case where a vestry
elected as auditor a person who could neither read nor
write. (Laughter.) No one was responsible under the
present system, but he was strongly of opinion that re-
sponsibility should be fixed upon some one who should
see, among other things, that the public accounts were
audited in a thoroughly efficient manner. (Hear, hear.)
All the best men in the various parishes knew that a
change must take place, and ware in favour of the present
measure.

After some further discussion, the meeting proceeded to
consider the clauses of the bill, which was stated to be
based upon the Municipal Corporations Act; and that it
was not proposed to give to London a single privilege or
power that was not at present possessed by Manchester,
Liverpool, Birmingham, and other large towns and cities
of England. Clause 2 provided for the division of the
metropolis into the following municipal boroughs:—
Westminster, Kensington, Marylebone, St. Pancras,
Finsbury, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, South-
wark, and Greenwich. Clause 3 fixed the parishes the
above municipal boroughs should contain, and Clause 4
established the boundaries. Clause 5 provided that in
each borough except Westminster there should be a
mayor, aldermen, and burgesses ; and in Westminster,
which was known as a city, there should be citizens
instead of burgesses. Subsequent clauses defined the
council of each borough, fixed the number of councillors,
the mode to be adopted at the first elections, and pro-
vided that until a burgess roll had been completed the
persons who under the provisions of the Metropolis Local
Management Act would now be entitled to vote should
be taken to be the burgesses of the boroughs created by
the bill. The notice of first elections being arranged for
other clauses provided that the provisions of the Metro-
polis Local Management Act should apply to first elections
of councillors, and that the provision* of the Municipal
Corporations Act should apply to all other elections
that all boroughs under the act should have justices of
the peace, and that these justices should have licensing
powers as other borough justices ; that every borough
should have salaried police magistrates • that present
metropolitan police-courts should be police-courts of the
new boroughs ; that a new police-court should be
established for the borough of St. l'ancras ; that
I boroughs should form police-court divisions ; and that
borough police-courts should be deemed metropolitan
lice po-courts. The next clauses provided for appeals from
borough magistrates ; that watch committee and police
clauses of Municipal Corporations Acts should be permis-
sive only ; that borough rates may be raised for any pur-
I pose authorised by the act ; that the expenses of the act
might be raised out of the borough rate ; and that town
halls might be provided. Under another clause power was
given to churchwardens and others to transfer charitable
funds to borough councils, and a further clause provided
that councils should have duties and powers of vestries and
district boards under the Metropolis Local Management
! Act. The remaining clauses provided that the
number of members to be elected by each borough
to the Metropolitan Board of Works should restrain
the same as at present ; that the powers and provisions
of the Municipal Corporations Acts hould be auxiliary to
those of the Metropolis Local Management Act ; that
councils should Lave duties and powers of commis-
! sioners, &c., under local acts; that property vested in ves-
tries, &c., should be transferred to councils ; that existing
contracts should remain valid ; that existing commis-
sioners, &c., should be continued until the act came into
operation ; that existing debts and liabilities should be
discharged ; that rates made before the act came into ripe-
ration should be collected as if the act bad not been
! passed ; that savings, &c., applicable to vestries, &c.,
I should apply to councils ; that compensations should be
under the Municipal Corporations Act ; that council/
might adopt parts of Towns Improvement Clauses Act,
Local Government Act, Lc. ; that the saving clauses
of the Metropolis Local Management Act should apply ;
that the City of London should not be affected by the
act ; that the powers of the Metropolitan Board of
Works should not be abridged • that the inns of court

should not be affected luau: than by the Metropolis
Local Management Act ; that the boundaries of par-
liamentary boroughs and electoral franchise should not be
affected ; that all inconsistent acts should be repmded ;
that the provisions of local acts might be named by bar
Majesty's order in council ; that any differences between
councils, &c., should be referred to arbitration • and for
provision for creating new boroughs under the ict. The
total number of clauses is 51.

A question being asked as to the proposed mode of
voting, it was stated that it was desirable that voting
papers should be left by the police as for voting for
guardians.
. . .

Other questions having been satisfactorily answered,
Mr. Bgoos moved a resolution affirming the principle of
the bill, and fixing a day for the further discussion of the
details.

Mr. J. W. PBOBTN seconded the motion, which was car-
ried unanimously.
An executive committee was then appointed, and the
proceedings closed in the usual manner.

THZ SUNDAY TRADING BlLL—Last evening a
crowded meeting of the retail dealers and traders of µ•hite-
chapel and neighbourhood was held at the Exhibition
Clothes Exchange, Houndsditch, to protest against the
unjust and arbitrary bill now before the House of Lords,
as affecting trade and hawking ; Mr. BLOM in the chair.
A petition to parliament is opposition to the bill was car-
ried.

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