such terms as may be provided by the scheme. The scheme may also contain any consequential, incidental, and supplemental provisions which appear expedient or proper for its purposes, including provisions determining the area included in the electricity district. It is stipulated that no such scheme shall provide for the transfer to the authority of any part of an undertaking except with the consent of the owners thereof.

The scheme may permit the joint electricity authority to delegate, with or without restrictions, to committees of the authority any of its powers or duties and to pay, out of its revenues, travelling and subsistence expenses of members of the authority, and reasonable compensation for loss of their remunerative time.

The Commissioners may make an order giving effect to the scheme, embodying decisions they arrive at as a result of the inquiry, and may present the order for confirmation by the Minister of Transport, who may confirm it with or without modification. It is then to be laid before each House of Parliament, and is not to come into operation unless and until approved with or without modification by resolution of each House. It may subsequently be altered by an order made, confirmed, and approved in the same manner. The Act lays down in general terms that the duty of every joint electricity authority shall be to provide, or secure the provision of, a cheap and abundant supply of electricity within their district, and for that purpose they are to have such powers and duties as are conferred or imposed upon them by the scheme constituting them, or by the Act, as to the supply of electricity, and the acquisition of undertakings or parts of undertakings of authorised undertakers, and they are to comply with any general directions given to them by the Electricity Commissioners as to the exercise and performance of their powers and duties.

Provisions are included in the Act for enabling a joint electricity authority, with the consent of the Commissioners, to acquire any generating station or any main transmission line from any such station by agreement with the owners;

for enabling local authorities who are authorised distributors to transfer their undertakings, in whole or part, to such joint authorities with the consent of the Commissioners; for enabling an order constituting a joint authority to transfer to that authority a power of purchasing any undertaking exerciseable by a local authority whose area is within the district of the joint authority; for precluding a local authority from exercising its power of purchasing an undertaking, except with the consent of the Commissioners, during the period until the constitution of a joint authority; for enabling a joint authority, with the consent of the Commissioners, to acquire by agreement the whole or part of the undertaking of any authorised undertakers, not being a local authority, and enabling such undertakers to carry out such a sale.

ABSTRACTION OF WATER FROM RIVERS, ETC.-With a view to facilitating the obtaining of water for condensing and other purposes in connection with electric generating stations, the Act empowers the Minister of Transport, on the representation of the Commissioners, to make orders for enabling any joint authority or any authorised undertakers to abstract water from any river, stream, canal, inland navigation, or other source, and to do all acts necessary for utilising and returning the water so abstracted, subject to such conditions as may be specified in the Order. Notice must be given of the intention to make the order, and an opportunity provided for persons affected to state objections. Various important limitations and provisoes are included for protection of the parties interested in the rivers, canals, and other waters concerned in respect of the exercise of these powers.

UTILISATION OF POWER FROM WATER, WASTE HEAT, ETC.-A joint electricity authority and any local authority, company, or person are empowered, with the consent of the Electricity Commissioners, to enter into arrangements for the utilisation, for the purposes of the joint authority, of water power, waste heat, or other form of energy, which the local authority, company, or person may be able to dispose of, or for the supply by the joint authority of any

form of energy other than electricity, and, where such an arrangement has been made, the Commissioners may by order authorise the joint authority to exercise such powers (including power to break up roads, railways, and tramways) as may be necessary for conveying the energy. Such arrangements, however, are not to be made for the supply by the joint authority of any form of energy, other than electricity, in any area or district within which any undertakers are authorised by Parliament to supply such form of energy, unless and until such undertakers consent thereto, and then only upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon with such undertakers.

A joint electricity authority may be authorised to acquire compulsorily or use land for the development of waterpower with a view to the generation of electricity, in addition to the other purposes for which they may be authorised to acquire land under the procedure provided by section I of the Electric Lighting Act, 1909.

BY-PRODUCT PLANT.-A joint authority may, with the consent of the Electricity Commissioners, erect, maintain, alter, improve, and renew by-product plant with all necessary machinery and apparatus, and do all such acts as may be proper for working up and converting the residual products arising directly or indirectly from the generation of electricity, but, where it appears to the Commissioners that the establishment of any such by-product plant could properly be undertaken by any existing company, authority, or person, a joint authority are not to establish such plant without first giving to such company, authority, or person, an opportunity of so doing.

POWERS OF JOINT AUTHORITY TO SUPPLY.-By section 12, as amended by section 16 of the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1922, certain limitations are imposed on the power of a joint authority to supply electricity within their district. They may not supply in any area which for the time being forms part of the area of supply of any authorised distributors, without the consent of those distributors, except to railway, canal, or inland navigation companies or authorities for the purposes of traction or haulage, or for lighting

vehicles and vessels for the haulage or traction of which electricity is supplied, or for charging or re-charging electric vehicles not running on rails; nor may they supply in any part of the area of supply of a power company for any purpose for which the company are therein authorised to supply electricity, without the consent of the company. Where, however, the authorised distributors refuse or withhold their consent, the joint authority may appeal to the Electricity Commissioners as to whether the consent is unreasonably refused or withheld, and the Ministry of Transport, on the recommendation of the Commissioners, may dispense with such consent, if in their opinion it is unreasonably refused or withheld. The consent is to be deemed to be unreasonably refused or withheld if the authorised distributors are not willing and in a position to give the requisite supply upon reasonable terms and within a reasonable time, and in considering what are reasonable terms and what is a reasonable time the Ministry must, amongst other things, have regard to the terms upon which, and the time within which, the joint authority and the authorised distributors are respectively willing and able to give the supply, and, where the authorised distributors are themselves supplied by the joint authority, the terms upon which they are so supplied, including the period of time for which such terms are to be binding.

If, in any particular part of the area of supply of a power company, the power company are not willing and in a position to supply electricity to any local authority, company, or person, who is prepared to enter into a binding contract with that power company to continue to receive and pay for a supply of electricity upon such terms and conditions (including the payment of a minimum annual sum) as will, in the opinion of the Commissioners, afford an adequate return to the power company, and is also (in the case of a company or person) prepared to give to the power company (if required by them so to do) security for the payment of all sums which may become due to the power company under the contract, then and in such case the Commissioners may, by special order under section 26 of

the Act, authorise a joint electricity authority to supply electricity in that particular part of the area of supply of the power company, without the consent of the power company. In determining what terms and conditions will afford an adequate return to the power company the Commissioners shall have regard to the following amongst other considerations:

(i) The period for which the authority, company or person
requiring the supply guarantees to take the supply;
(ii) The amount of electricity and the maximum power
required;

(iii) The hours during which the power company can be
called upon to give the supply;

(iv) The capital expenditure in connection with the supply; and

(v) The extent to which capital expended in connection with the supply may become unproductive to the power company upon the discontinuance of the supply. Section 12 goes on to provide that the 1919 Act shall, in relation to every joint electricity authority, be deemed to be a special Act for the purposes of the Electric Lighting Acts, and every joint authority shall be deemed to be undertakers within the meaning of those Acts, and the provisions of the schedule to the Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act, 1899 shall, for the purposes of section 12, be incorporated with the 1919 Act, subject to such exceptions and modifications as may be prescribed by the order constituting the joint authority. Sections 2 and 3 of the Electric Lighting Act, 1888 (which relate to the purchase of undertakings by local authorities), are not, however, to apply to the undertakings of joint authorities.

Section 12 further provides that, subject to the limitations just referred to on the powers of a joint authority to supply electricity, the Commissioners may, by order, after such inquiry as they think fit, impose on any joint authority an obligation to supply electricity in such circumstances, within such areas, and on such terms and conditions as to price and otherwise as may be specified in the order.

RESTRICTIONS ON ESTABLISHMENT OF GENERATING STATIONS. By way of further development of the policy of