Charing Cross Bridge On Tuesday the Private Bill Committee of
the House of Commons rejected the London County Council's scheme for a new Charing Cross Bridge. It will be remem- bered that the Committee had -approved of the northern section of the scheme but disapproved of the plan for the south side of the river, believing that it would obstruct the . adequate development of the Lambeth district. Accordingly the Committee invited the County Council to reconsider the scheme and to suggest some site for the new Southern Railway station other than the Lion Brewery site which is close to the proposed bridgehead on the south bank. On Tuesday Sir Lynden Macasseyi on behalf of the County Council, repeated his conviction that the scheme was much the best of all that had been considered. It was best, he said, from the point of view of street traffic, the convenience of railway passengers and architectural possibilities. The County Council was, therefore, unable to accept any other site for the new station than that of the Lion Brewery. Finally, he sug- gested that the Bill might be withdrawn and might come before another Committee in another session. Sir Henry Cautley, the Chairman of the Private Bill Committee, pointed out that his Committee was anxious to save as much of the scheme as possible, particularly as further delay was undesirable, but Sir Lynden Maeassey replied that in the judgment of the County Council the scheme was in the hands of the Committee simply "to accept or reject." Sir Henry Cautley then reluctantly declared that the Bill was rejected. It is not usual for a Private Bill Committee to reject a measure which has received its second reading in the House of Commons, • but the Committee was evidently sensible of the great weight of expert and artistic opinion which has been brought to bear against the southern part of the London County Council's scheme. Those who are most conscious of the defects of the scheme are, in general, those who are convinced that the solution of the whole traffic prob- lem depends upon having a new bridge at or near Charing Cross. Sir Henry Cautley himself has no doubt that a scheme can yet be produced which will command practi- cally universal support, which will not necessitate a labyrinth of tunnels on the Lambeth side, and which will not jeopardize the development of the south bank,
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