§ MR. GOURLEYasked the right hon. Member for North Devon (Sir Stafford Northcote), Whether the statement in the fourth paragraph of the Report of the Royal Commissioners on Friendly and Building Societies just issued—
As a matter of fact we have had occasionally to receive evidence of which, we fear, none of those who heard it could doubt the deliberate falseness; we have failed in many cases to elicit that which we believe would have been important; and we have been compelled to leave almost untouched a whole line of inquiry, of which the evidence of Mr. Aspinall, the Coroner for Liverpool, may show the insignificance, but which, as involving criminal charges, could not adequately be carried out without powers of compulsion and powers of indemnity,does not refer to Friendly and Burial Societies exclusively; and, if the Commission has not received every assistance and information from the representatives of Building Societies?
§ SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTEsaid, in reply, that when the evidence on which the Report was founded was presented to Parliament, which he trusted would be very shortly, it would be quite 1089 clear what points were referred to in the paragraph quoted; but he might say at once that it did not refer to building societies, and that the line of evidence which was referred to related more to burial societies, and to certain statements bearing on the dangers to infant life arising from certain proceedings connected with burial societies. With regard to the latter part of the Question, he might say that the Commission, in the course of their inquiries in the autumn, did receive much assistance and information from the representatives of building societies, and the only point on which they had to complain of the friends of building societies was, that those societies used their influence to prevent the passing of a Bill, which, though it was not intended to affect building societies, would, if it had been passed, have enabled the Commission to pursue their inquiries in respect of other societies in a much more effectual manner than they were enabled to do.