HC Deb 28 February 1877 vol 232 cc1195-6

Order for Committee read.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair."—(Mr. Chaplin.)

MR. BIGGAR

rose to move that the House do go into Committee on this day six months. There were several reasons why he did so. The Bill had obtained some support among hon. Members connected with agriculture; but yet he could not help thinking there was a want of thoroughness and a narrowness of scope in its provisions that would render it inoperative. He was somewhat surprised that that should be so, seeing that the hon. Gentleman who introduced the Bill (Mr. Chaplin) enjoyed plenty of leisure and industry, as was evident a few nights ago, when he delivered a speech directed against the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Greenwich which he had learned by heart. ["Order!"] Well, if he had not learned it, perhaps he read it on that occasion. If the opinion of an expert upon agricultural machines had been consulted perhaps the foundation of a better Bill might have resulted. This Bill dealt with threshing machines merely. Another year might bring a Bill upon churning machines, then again on mowing machines. He could not see any special reason why legislation was directed to threshing machines more than to other machines used on a farm. The hon. Member was proceeding to examine the Bill clause by clause, when—

MR. SPEAKER

said, the hon. Member was not in Order in going through the Bill clause by clause on the Motion "that I do leave the Chair." The discussion of the clauses was reserved for Committee, and his remarks must be directed to the general principles of the Bill.

MR. BIGGAR

said, he was anxious to point out how bad the Bill was from first to last. It opened up a great many questions which it did not settle. For instance, the liability of the master when one servant injured another, and so on. If Bills were to be introduced for every kind of machine used on a farm, there would be no end of legislation, and every hon. Member would be claiming the honour of having his name on the back of a Bill. The hon. Member proceeded amid continued cries of "Order!" and "Chair!" until—

It being a quarter of an hour before Six of the clock, the Debate stood adjourned till To-morrow.