§ MR. J. COLLINGS (Birmingham, Bordesley)I wish to ask the President of the Local Government Board a question of which I have given him private notice, namely, whether he is aware that by the exclusion of all Municipal Boroughs from the operation of the Allotments Appeal Bill, large numbers of agricultural labourers will be altogether deprived of the benefits conferred by the Bill; and whether he will take steps to remedy this defect by giving the same right of appeal to labourers living in the smaller county boroughs as defined in the Local Government Act, 1888?
§ *MR. RITCHIEI do not deny that the absence of an appeal in the cases to which the question refers is a matter for regret. As the hon. Member knows, the Government proposed originally that an appeal should be allowed; but the opinion of the House was so opposed to this that, notwithstanding our belief that there ought to be an appeal, we felt we could not resist the opposition. The Government cannot now consent to take the initiative in respect of any legislation intended to remedy the defect to which the hon. Member refers.
§ MR. J. COLLINGSThere were 200 of these small boroughs, nearly half of them having less than 5,000 inhabitants, and many of them only 2,000. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that if the measure is not amended a very considerable portion of the agricultural labourers of this country will be deprived of the advantages which it was intended to confer upon them?
§ *MR. RITCHIEI am aware that the hon. Member is correct in his statement as to the boroughs which will be placed in the position which he deprecates; but how far the labourers will be deprived of the benefits which it is proposed to confer by the measure I am unable to say.