§ MR. RIPLEYasked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether he intends to proceed with the Pollution of Rivers Bill this Session?
§ MR. SCLATER-BOOTH,in reply, said, he had reason to believe that there existed a desire on both sides of the House that the Bill should pass into law this Session. Therefore he hoped his hon. Friend would withdraw his Notice, and allow the Bill to be read a second time on Thursday next. If this were done, he was sanguine enough to hope that he might be able to arrange an Amendment in Committee which would remove the hon. Member's objection to the Bill in its present state.
§ MR. RIPLEYsaid, the answer he should give to this appeal would be decidedly "No." So far as he understood the feeling of manufacturers in the country, they only wanted to be assured of the Government's intention to proceed with this Bill in order that they might come up in large numbers for, the purpose of opposing it.