Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865

Expenses

13 Contributions by Insurance Offices.

Every Insurance Company that insures from Fire any Property in the Metropolis shall pay annually to the Metropolitan Board of Works, by way of Contribution toward the Expenses of carrying this Act into effect, a Sum after the Bate of Thirty-five Pounds in the One million Pounds on the gross Amounts insured by it, except by way of Reassurance, in respect of Property in the Metropolis for a Year, and at a like Rate for any fractional Part of a Million, and for any fractional Part of a Year as well as for any Number of Years for which the Insurance may be made, renewed, or continued.

The said Payments by Insurance Companies shall be made quarterly in advance, on the First of January, First of April, First of July, and First of October in every Year ; the First of such Payments to be made on the First of January One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, and such First Payment and the other Payments for the Year One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six to be based upon the Amounts insured by the several Companies in respect of Property in the Metropolis in the Year ending the Twenty-fourth of December One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four: Provided that any Insurance Company which at the Time of the passing of this Act contributes to the Expenses of the said Fire Engine Establishment may, in respect of all Payments to be made by it in the Years One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six and One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, but not afterwards, contribute after the yearly Rate of Thirty-five Pounds in One million Pounds of the Business in respect of which it contributes to the said Fire Engine Establishment for the present Year, according to a Return which has been furnished the Chairman of the said Metropolitan Board, instead of in the Manner in this Act provided.

14 Mode of enforcing Contributions.

All Contributions due from an Insurance Company to the Board in pursuance of this Act shall be deemed to be Specialty Debts due from the Company to the Board, and be recovered accordingly.

15 Mode of ascertaining Proportions of Contribution.

For the Purpose of ascertaining the Amount to be contributed by every such Insurance Company as aforesaid, every Insurance Company insuring Property from Fire in the Metropolis shall, on the Thirtieth Day of December One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, with respect to the Amounts insured in the Year One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, and on the First of June One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, and on every succeeding First of June, or on such other Days as the Metropolitan Board of Works may appoint, make a Return to the said Board, in such Form as they may require, of the gross Amount insured by it in respect of Property in the Metropolis.

There shall be annexed to the Return so made a Declaration made by the Secretary or other Officer performing the Duties of Secretary of the Company by whom it is made, stating that he has examined the Return with the Books of the Company, and that to the best of his Knowledge, Information, and Belief it contains a true and faithful Account of the gross Amount of the Sums insured by the Company to which he belongs in respect of Property in the Metropolis.

The Return made in the June of one Year shall not come into Effect till the First of January of the succeeding Year, and shall be the Basis of the Contributions for that Year.

16 Penalty on Insurance Company not making Return.

If any Insurance Company makes default in making such Returns to the Board as are required by this Act, it shall be liable to a Penalty not exceeding Five Pounds for every Day during which it is so in default. : ,

17 Examination of Books of Insurance Companies.

The Secretary or other Officer having the Custody of the Books and Papers of any Insurance Company that is required to pay a Contribution to the Board in pursuance of this Act shall allow any Officer appointed by the Board to inspect, during the Hours of Business, any Books and Papers that will enable him to ascertain the Amount of Property insured by such Company in the Metropolis, and the Amount for which it is insured, and to make Extracts from such Books or Papers; and any Secretary or other such Officer as aforesaid of a Company failing to comply with the Requisitions of this Section in respect of such Inspections and Extracts shall be liable on summary Conviction to a Penalty not exceeding Five Pounds for each Offence.

18 Contributions by Government towards Expense of Brigade.

The Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury shall pay or cause to be paid to the Board by way of Contribution to the Expenses of maintaining the Fire Brigade such Sums as Parliament may from Time to Time grant for that Purpose, not exceeding in any One Year the Sum of Ten thousand Pounds.

19 Expenses of Act not specially provided for.

For the Purpose of defraying all Expenses that may be incurred by the Board in carrying into effect this Act which are not otherwise provided for, the Board may from Time to Time issue their Precepts to the Overseers of the Poor of every Parish or Place within the Metropolis, requiring the Overseers to pay over the Amount mentioned in the Precepts to the Treasurer of the Board or into a Bank to be named in the Precepts within Forty Days from the Delivery, of the Precept.

The Overseers shall comply with the Requisitions of any such Precept by paying the Sums mentioned out of any Monies in their Hands applicable to the Relief of the Poor, or by levying the Amount required as Part of the Rate for the Relief of the Poor, but no Contribution required to be paid by any Parish or Place under this Section shall exceed in the whole in any One Year the Rate of One Halfpenny in the Pound on the full and fair annual Value of Property rateable to the Relief of the Poor within the Said Parish or Place, such full and fair annual Value to be computed in all Parts of the Metropolis, exclusive of the City of London, according to the last Valuation for the Time being acted on in assessing the County Rate, or, where there is no County Rate, according to a like Estimate or Basis; and no liberty, Precinct, or Place shall be exempt from the Rate leviable for the Purposes of this Act by reason of its being extra-parochial or otherwise; and in default of proper Officers in any Liberty, Precinct, or Place to assess or levy the said Rate, the Board may appoint such Officers, and add the Amount of any Expenses so incurred to the Amount to be raised by the next succeeding Rate in such Liberty, Precinct, or Place.

Overseers shall, for the Purposes of levying any Amount required to be levied by them under this Act, have the same Powers and be subject to the same Obligations as in levying a. Rate for the Relief of the Poor.

The Word " Overseers " shall include any Persons or Bodies of Persons authorized or required to make and collect or cause to be collected Rates applicable to the Relief of the Poor; and such Persons or Bodies shall pay to the Board the Amount so mentioned in the Precept out of the said Rates.

20 Penalty on Nonpayment of Rate by Overseers.

In case the Amount ordered by any such Precept as aforesaid to be paid by the Overseers of any Parish or Place be not paid in manner directed by such Precept and within the Time therein specified for that Purpose, it shall be lawful for any Justice of the Peace, upon the Complaint by the Board or by any Person authorized by the Board, to issue his "Warrant for levying the Amount or so much thereof as may be in arrear by Distress and Sale of the Goods of all or any of the said Overseers, and in case the Goods of all the Overseers be not sufficient to pay the same, the Arrears thereof shall be added to the Amount of the next Levy which is directed to be made in such Parish or Place for the Purposes of this Act, and shall be collected by the like Methods.

21 Power to Board, with Consent of Treasury, to borrow not exceeding 40,000l.

The Board may, with the Consent of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, borrow any Sum not exceeding Forty thousand Pounds, and apply the same for the Purposes of this Act; and all Powers contained in the Metropolis Local Management Acts authorizing the Board to borrow Money, or any Commissioners or Persons to lend Money to the Board, and all other Provisions as to the Mode of borrowing, the Repayment of Principal or Interest, or in anywise relating to borrowing by the Board, shall be deemed to apply and to extend to this Act in the same Manner as if the Monies borrowed in pursuance of this Act were Monies borrowed for the Purpose of defraying the Expenses of the Metropolis Local Management Acts, or One or more of those Acts. The Board shall apply the Monies received by them under this Act in liquidation of the Principal and Interest of the Monies so borrowed, but no Creditor shall be concerned to see to such Application, or be liable for any Misapplication of the Monies received or borrowed by the Board in pursuance of this Act.