§ Bill, as amended, considered.
§ THE LORD MAYOR OF DUBLIN (Mr. SEXTON) (Belfast, W.)said, that no attempt to deal with the Irish Mortmain Acts had been made since Dean Swift, in 1737, petitioned against a Bill then before the Irish House of Lords, and he wished clearly to understand whether the Bill applied to Ireland?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir RICHARD WEBSTER) (Isle of Wight)said, that it had been found impossible to make the Bill applicable to Ireland, and Amendments had therefore been inserted providing that its operation should not extend to the Sister Isle, though the words might have been clearer.
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. MADDEN) (Dublin University)said, that he had been obliged to suggest that the Bill should not apply to Ireland, as the Irish Acts were different and separate from the English Acts. But he hoped an opportunity would be found for consolidating the law on the question.
§ Amendments made.
§ Amendment proposed, in page 2, line 32, to leave out the words "peppercorn or other nominal."—(Mr. Bryn Roberts.)
§ Question, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Bill," put, and agreed to.
§ Amendments made.
§
Amendment proposed,
In page 5, line 7, after the word "assuror," to insert the words "or be a reproduction in substance of a devise made in a previous will in force at the time of such reproduction, and which was executed not less than twelve months before the death of the assuror."—(Mr. Bryn Roberts.)
§ Question proposed, "That those words be there inserted."
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
MR. BRYN ROBERTS (Carnarvonshire, Eifion)said, he thought the University Colleges of Wales should be freed from the restrictions of the Mortmain Acts. They had a greater claim to exemption than Oxford and Cambridge, which were already so rich, or 358 even than London or Victoria University. London, Durham, and Victoria Universities were freed by the Bill from the operation of the Mortmain Acts. He would move an Amendment to free the Welsh Colleges from this restriction.
§
Amendment proposed,
In page 5, line 41, after the word "universities," to insert the words "or the University Colleges of North Wales at Bangor, of Wales at Aberystwith, and of South Wales and Monmouthshire at Cardiff."—(Mr. Bryn Roberts.)
§ Question proposed, "That those words be there inserted."
§ SIR RICHARD WEBSTERsaid, he must ask the hon. Gentleman not to press the Amendment. He had considerable misgiving that the exemptions from the restrictions of the Mortmain Acts had already gone rather far; and if the present Amendment were accepted there were a number of other institutions which might come forward and ask for similar exemption, and he should have no answer to make to them.
§ MR. HENRY H. FOWLER (Wolverhampton, E.)said, he would recommend the hon. and learned Member not to press his Amendment, because the argument of the hon. and learned Attorney General was, he said, unanswerable.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Amendment proposed, in page 6, line 4, after the word "society," to insert the word "denomination."
§ Question proposed, "That those words be there inserted."
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
§
Amendment proposed,
In page 6, line 21, after the words "extent and manner," to add the words "and nothing in this Act contained shall prejudice or affect any of the provisions of the School Sites Acts, as any of in the Fourth Schedule to 'The Elementary Education Act, 1870.'"—(Mr. Francis Powell.)
§ Question proposed, "That those words be there inserted."
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
§ SIR RICHARD WEBSTER, in asking the House to allow the Bill to be read the third time, said he would take 359 occasion, on behalf of the Government, to thank right hon. and hon. Gentlemen opposite for the extremely fair way in which they had met the Bill. He was aware that many of them held strong views with regard to alterations in the Law of Mortmain—he himself would like to see some changes introduced—but they had recognized that it was impossible to deal with such questions in a Consolidation Bill.
§ Motion made, and Question, "That the Bill be now read the third time,"—(Mr. Attorney General,)—put, and agreed to.
§ Bill read the third time, and passed.