THIRD READING. (Hansard, 19 June 1879)

§ MR. DILLWYN
trusted the third reading of the Bill would not be taken that night. The Bill was only unopposed because there had been no time to put down Notice of opposition.

§ MR. SPEAKER
said, that as no Notice of Amendment had been put down the Bill could be taken thon.

§ MR. DILLWYN
said, that the Bill had only so recently gone through Committee that there was no opportunity to place any Amendments on the Paper.

§ MR. SPEAKER
said, that it was open to the hon. Member to move the adjournment of the debate.

§ MR. DILLWYN
moved the adjournment of the debate.

MR. OSBORNE MORGAN
begged to second the Motion for the adjournment. He said, that this Bill was an exceedingly objectionable measure. The clauses of the Bill were short; but, in effect, they proposed to give to rural sanitary authorities power to construct cemeteries entirely irrespective of the wishes of the ratepayers, and thon to charge the cost of such works upon the rates. He could not conceive any proposal more absurd than this. Moreover, the Bill was a retrograde one, as it went, so to speak, behind the back of the Burial Acts, and authorized the construction of burial grounds, without any un-consecrated portion being set apart for the use of Dissenters. So far, therefore, from meeting their demands, it placed 286 them in a worse position than before. The hon. and learned Member for Cambridge had stolen a march upon them; and because he happened to leave the House a minute or two before the Bill came on yesterday, it was taken without opposition. In consequence of the Bill going through Committee so recently, there had been no time to put down any Notice to oppose it. Under these circumstances, he conceived that the Bill ought not to be pressed through the House at that hour. The ends of the Bill would be most mischievous; it was a very objectionable measure, and would give enormous powers to the local authorities.

§ MR. BARING
thought that, considering the great attention the hon. and learned Member had paid to the subject of interments, which he had made his own for many years, he ought at least to have been careful to see what Bills were going on with reference to the matter. Under the circumstances, the House owed him no special consideration.

§ MR. CALLAN
trusted that, after the long discussion they had had that night, this Bill would not thon he taken. He was under the impression that the half-past 12 Rule applied, unless the day after a Bill was taken a Notice of Amendment appeared on the Paper; but, in this case, no hon. Member had any opportunity of placing a Motion for the rejection of the Bill upon the Paper; and, as that had been the case, he thought that the half-past 12 Rule ought to apply.

§ MR. SPEAKER
said, that if the hon. Member wished him to refer to the half-past 12 Rule he would do so. The third reading of that Bill had been fixed for that day, and no Notice of Amendment had been given. Under these circumstances, he was bound to rule that the regulation in question did not apply, and that the Bill could be taken thon.

§ MR. MONK
would be obliged if the hon. and learned Member for Cambridge (Mr. Marten) would explain the nature of this Bill. The Bill had passed through Committee without a single observation being made respecting it; and when the hon. and learned Member 287 asked that it might be read a third time, he should, at least, tell the House something about it.

§ MR. MARTEN
said, that private Members had so few opportunities of passing their measures that he trusted the House would take the third reading of this Bill on that occasion. He entirely disclaimed any intention of smuggling the Bill through the House, and had only taken advantage of such opportunities as fell in his way. He might say that the Bill was supported by the hon. and learned Member for Penryn (Mr. Cole).

MR. OSBORNE MORGAN
remarked that the hon. and learned Member for Penryn (Mr. Cole) had told him that he entirely disapproved of the measure.

§ MR. MARTEN
said, that he had conversed with the hon. and learned Member for Penryn (Mr. Cole), and, so far as he knew, he approved of this Bill. It was merely a Bill to enable the sanitary authorities, in certain cases, if they thought fit, to provide cemeteries. There was an absolute necessity at the present moment for a machinery to enable the ordinary sanitary authorities in certain cases to provide for the interment of particular persons, in the same way that they now had to provide mortuaries. In fact, it was simply a Bill enabling the sanitary authorities to make provisions for the public health. He trusted that the House would now proceed to the third reading.

§ MR. CALLAN
said, that after a prolonged debate, extending from 4 o'clock that evening, of more important matters, this Bill was now pressed on in spite of a most determined opposition. No real legislation could be done by victories snatched like this. He begged to move that the House do now adjourn.

§ MR. BIGGAR
seconded the Motion, being of opinion that the Bill was one which required further discussion.

§ SIR WILFRID LAWSON
did not think that the hon. and learned Member for Cambridge had been wrong in taking advantage of every opportunity which he had to bring on this Bill. It was a matter of great difficulty to private Members to bring their legislation to this stage; and he did not think that the hon. and learned Member should be blamed for wishing his Bill to be taken thon. When the hon. and learned Member had steered safely through all the shoals and got safely to that point, it was rather hard to ask him to give up the fruits of his perseverance. Perhaps the hon. and learned Member for Denbighshire (Mr. Osborne Morgan) was jealous of an interference with a matter which he might think belonged entirely to himself. He would point out to him that there was nothing ecclesiastical in this Bill.

§ COLONEL MAKINS
said, that the hon. Baronet the Member for Carlisle was perfectly right in saying that there was nothing ecclesiastical about this Bill; it was only a Bill which made better provision for the health of the people.

MR. OSBORNE MORGAN
thought they were entitled to have the opinion of the Government upon this measure. He doubted whether the Government had read through this Bill; and before it passed the third reading, he thought the House should know what their opinion of it was.

MR. ASSHETON CROSS
said, that he had been asked his opinion, and he would give it very shortly. He had read the Bill through carefully, and he could not conceive that anyone could, by any possibility, object to it. It simply did this— it gave the local authority facilities for having cemeteries if they wished to have them. There was nothing ecclesiastical in the Bill; it only enabled the local authorities to take more powers in respect to sanitary matters. He could not conceive any possible objection there could be to the Bill.