As for the administrative areas under the Bill, Mr. Graham
reminded the House that the Royal Commission was unanimously of opinion that county Authorities would not _be appropriate and that there must be special coast protection bodies. The. Bill, therefore, created such special bodies on which rating powers would be conferred. In the debate very signi- ficant objections were raised. Anew bureaucratic body authorized to tax the public and yet to be exempt from effective criticism because it would not be directly elected ! All the critics had a vision of more bureaucrats entrenched behind Orders made by the Board of Trade. And the Board of Trade itself would inevitably become more bureaucratic—one of the best of the Departments though it is. We all know that it is difficult for Depart- ments to administer the complicated Acts of to-day unless they are allowed some discretion. And yet there is a danger of the public finding that its common rights are filched away without any possibility of appeal. If we are not careful, that hateful thing, a droit administratif, will gradually be built up in this country and the ancient independence and adequacy for all purposes of the judiciary will be at an end. Happily Mr. Graham recognized the gravity of the criticism.
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