COMMITTEE.

HC Deb 07 July 1885 vol 298 cc1941-3

Bill considered in Committee.

(In the Committee.)

Clauses 1 to 5, inclusive, agreed to.

Clause 6 (Provision for preventing annoyance to riparian owners).

MR. STORY-MASKELYNE

proposed to omit the words "thirty days," in line 37, and insert "forty-eight hours."

Amendment proposed, In page 2, line 37, to leave out the words "thirty days," and insert the words "forty-eight hours."—(Mr. Story-Maskelyne.)

Question proposed, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Clause."

MR. LABOUCHERE

said, there was a great difference between 30 days and 48 hours. He did not know whether there was any objection to the adoption of the Amendment, but he should certainly like a definition of a "pleasure ground." According to the Bill, a steamer or house-boat could not anchor off a pleasure ground or garden for 30 days; consequently, a pleasure ground was not a garden. What was it? Perhaps there was some legal Gentleman present who could tell the Committee specially what a pleasure ground was. A pleasure ground might be a park—something between a park and a garden. If a park were included in the words "pleasure ground," the house might be half-a-mile or a mile from the river, and therefore it would be a monstrous thing if the owner of a park were to have the power to prevent a houseboat anchoring for more than 48 hours outside his property.

MR. STORY-MASKELYNE

said, that the terms used in the Bill were legal terms. They were introduced in Committee by hon. Gentlemen of considerable legal eminence. The words "pleasure ground" were intended to include the ground around the house in which, for instance, there might be paths, but not flowers grown. They were not meant to include the whole of the ground which might be occupied by the riparian owner, such as a park or pasture ground, but merely the ground within the immediate neighbourhood of the house used, say, for purposes of recreation. He thought the words as they stood would be quite safe as excluding the idea of a park, which his hon. Friend was afraid would be included in the clause. The words in the clause had been very carefully considered in the House, especially by hon. Gentlemen who represented the riparian owners. He hoped, therefore, hon. Gentlemen would accept the Amendment.

MR. LABOUCHERE

said, there was one important point. The hon. Gentleman had said that the Committee was composed of lawyers, and that they understood what was a pleasure ground; but the hon. Member had not shown what it was to the House. The hon. Member said also that the riparian owners were satisfied, and that might be so; but there were many others to be satisfied besides the riparian owners. If the hon. Member did not alter the phraseology of the clause, he (Mr. Labouchere) should move to leave out the words "pleasure ground."

SIR CHARLES W. DILKE

said, he would suggest to the hon. Member who had just spoken, and also to the hon. Gentleman who had charge of the Bill and moved the Amendment, that perhaps the best course would be to leave the words "pleasure ground" in, and to substitute "a week" for "forty-eight hours." He thought that, from the evidence given before the Committee by those who had considered the Bill, it would be well not to exclude "pleasure grounds." The reasons given for these words were very strong. The period of 48 hours would be a very short time, and he would suggest to substitute for it "a week."

THE CHAIRMAN

I must point out to the hon. Gentleman the Member for Northampton (Mr. Labouchere) that he is not able to move to omit the words "pleasure ground," as that would be going back.

MR. LABOUCHERE

said, he understood the point of the right hon. Gentleman's observation. He should be willing to assent to "a week" being adopted in place of "forty-eight hours." If the hon. Gentleman in charge of the Bill would agree to that he would not move to exclude the words "pleasure ground."

MR. STORY-MASKELYNE

said, that if other hon. Gentlemen did not object, he would withdraw his Amendment and propose "a week," instead of "thirty days."

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Amendment proposed, In page 2, line 37, to leave out the word "thirty," and insert the word "seven."—(Mr. Story-Maskelyne.)

Amendment agreed to.

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Remaining Clauses agreed to.

Bill reported; as amended, to be considered To-morrow.