CONSIDERATION. (Hansard, 19 May 1887)

§ MR.HOWELL (Bethnal Green, N.E.)
I beg to move the omission of Clause 112, and, in doing so, I desire to call the attention of the House to a matter which has been placed before us in the Report of the Committee which sat upon this Bill. The Bill originally gave power to the Corporation of Darwen to establish sanitary regulations in excess of the provisions of the general law. In 1885 a Special Committee of this House was appointed to consider the Police and Sanitary Regulations contained in certain Private Bills which had been introduced into this House; and the decision which that Committee arrived at was that, unless strong reasons could be assigned, no deviation should be allowed from the provisions of the ordinary law of the land. In regard to the present Bill, the Local Government Board have reported very strongly on some of the provisions contained in it, and asked that they should be amended. I believe that they have been amended accordingly, and, therefore, I do not propose to press the Motion which stood in my name originally—namely, that the Bill be re-committed to the former Committee with respect to Clauses 96 to 131, inclusive, which the former Committee have reported as containing Police and Sanitary Regulations in excess of the provisions of the general law; but I ask the permission of the House to move that Clause 112 be omitted from the Bill. Is it in Order for me to do that?

§ MR. SPEAKER
Yes.

§ MR. HOWELL
Then I ask leave to withdraw the Motion for the re-committal of the Bill, and to move the omission of Clause 112. Perhaps I may be allowed to explain that this clause is directed against processions of the Salvation Army.

§ MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)
I believe that the promoters have agreed to omit the clause to which my hon. Friend objects.

§ MR. HOWELL
I will only say that the powers contained in this clause are of a very exceptional nature; and, although they are intended to prohibit Sunday processions, and are specially directed in this case, I am told, against the Salvation Army, they may have a much wider application. I think it is a most undesirable thing that processions should take place on Sunday, and I am not in favour of them myself; but I think that if it is considered desirable by this House to put a stop to meetings and processions on Sunday it should be done by a Public Bill, and not by a clause inserted in a Private Bill.

§ MR. F. S. POWELL (Wigan)
I hope I may be allowed to say a few words in regard to this Bill, and I promise that they shall be confined within the narrowest compass. I only wish to say, on behalf of the promoters, that they have no objection to withdraw this clause. I should not have said a word if my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester, who was Chairman of the Committee which inquired into the Bill, and upon which I had the honour to serve, had been present. This clause was carefully considered by the Committee, and we followed the precedent which has been set by former Committees of reporting to the House that the Bill contained clauses in contravention of the general provisions of the law, and in inserting in the Bill the clause to which exception is now taken. The House has itself created a precedent by sanctioning the same clause on the recommendation of the Committee in former years. I feel it right to say, however, both on the part of the Committee and on the part of the promoters, that there is no objection to the withdrawal of this clause on this occasion.