SECOND READING. (Hansard, 27 February 1883)

§ SIR JOHN LUBBOCK,
in moving that the Bill be now read the second time, said, it was the same as the Bill he introduced last Session, which the House read a second time without discussion. He hoped the House would agree to reading the Bill a second time now, and refer it to the Committee to which the Government Bill on the same subject would be referred. There wore many questions involved which could be better discussed by a Committee than by the House. The Bill was a comprehensive, and, he believed, a good measure, and he thought he was consulting the general feeling of those interested in it by moving the second reading. Whatever merit attached to the Bill belonged to the Society of Arts—and especially to Sir Frederick Bramwell—on whose behalf he introduced it last year, and now again asked the House to consent to the second reading.

§ MR. R. N. FOWLER
inquired whether the hon. Baronet contemplated referring the Bill to one of the Grand Committees?

§ SIR JOHN LUBBOCK
Yes.

§ MR. CHAMBERLAIN
I do not like to object to the course my hon. Friend proposes to take, and I shall not oppose the second reading. Neither shall I oppose the second reading of a similar Bill of which Notice has been given by the hon. Member for Glasgow (Mr. Anderson). But I feel bound to say this. My hon. Friend proposes the second reading at a time when it is impossible to discuss the measure, and asks us to assent to the second reading, as it were, sub silentio. That is rather against the ordinary practice of the House; but, at the same time, there is considerable interest taken in both Bills, and I do not like to take the strong course of opposing them. But I do not think my hon. Friend will be very much advantaged by the course he proposes to take, because I assume that the Grand Committee will, in the first place, consider the proposals of the Government on this subject, and they might come to a decision upon those proposals. Having done so, I doubt whether they would then consider the Bills now brought forward. I presume that my hon. Friends will adopt the course of moving such portions of their Bills as are not in the Government Bill, or as they think it desirable to insert in the shape of Amendments to that measure; and I should have thought it more convenient to do that, than to carry both these Bills formally through their several stages.