§ MR. BOWEN ROWLANDS (Cardiganshire)asked the Chairman of the Committee on Public Petitions, Whether his attention has been called to a Petition against the Disestablishment of the Church in Wales, presented to this House from inhabitants of Llauon and other places, Cardiganshire; whether the Petition contains a large number of signatures in the same handwriting; and, whether the following names occur in the Petition:—Mary Catherine Gwendolen Davies; Henry Basil Davies, Rosehill; Mary Jane Davies, Rosehill; R. E. B. Jones, Cadivor Villa; Dorothy Anne Catherine Jenkins; and whether the Committee is aware that these are the names of children aged respectively 1262 two and a-half years, two years, four months, 18 months, and eight months?
§ MR. LEWIS (Anglesey)also asked, Whether the hon. Baronet's attention has been called to a Petition against the Disestablishment of the Church in Wales, presented to this House by the hon. Member for East Bradford (Mr. Byron Reed), from the inhabitants of Llaneilian, County of Anglesey; whether the following names occur in the Petition:— Ellen Owen, Cae Lôn; John Owen, Cae Lôn; William Owen, Cae Lôn; and, whether the Committee is aware that these are the names of children, aged respectively four years, 30 months, seven months; and that the Petition contains the names of numerous other children below school age?
§ THE CHAIRMAN (Sir CHARLES FORSTER) (Walsall), in reply, said, that his attention had been called to the Petition mentioned in the first Question, and it did contain many signatures in the same handwriting. Of course, such signatures had not been counted. The same answer applied to the second Question. But as to the latter part of the Question, the Committee had no means of obtaining information as to the ages of those whose names were attached to the Petition. Accepting as facts the statements in the Questions, he had no hesitation in saying that such facts were a direct violation of the Rules of the House, and cast great discredit on the Petitioners.