§ MR. JOHN KELLY (Camberwell, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether, in view of the fact that very considerable alarm is felt by the distributors of mineral oil in many parts of the country at the provisions of the Inflammable Liquids Bill, he will consent to the Motion for the Second Reading of the Bill being postponed for two or three weeks, in order to allow time for a fuller 1700 consideration of its terms by the very large class of tradesmen upon whose trade the proposed restrictions would be placed?
§ MR. MATTHEWSMy hon. Friend is probably not aware that I have already twice stated, in reply to questions in this House, that a reasonable time will be allowed to lapse before the Second Reading of this Bill. I may add that if the House is pleased to read the Bill a second time I should propose to refer it to a Select Committee, before which the trade can be fully heard.
§ MR. J. KELLYDoes the right hon. Gentleman mean by a reasonable time, two or three weeks?
§ MR. MATTHEWSYes, Sir.
§ MR. J. ROWLANDS (Finsbury, E.)Is the Bill likely to be taken before Easter?
§ MR. MATTHEWSMy right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Treasury tells me it is doubtful.
§ MR. W. F. LAWRENCE (Liverpool, Abercromby)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, before proceeding with the Inflammable Liquids Bill, he will lay before the House Colonel Majendie's Report, and any statistics showing the number of fires attributable to inflammable liquids, the subject of the said Bill, and how they were occasioned?
§ MR. MATTHEWSI have already stated in the House that the fires due to inflammable liquids are not reported to the Home Office, and I have not the materials for supplying the statistics asked for. I presume the hon. member refers to Colonel Majendie's Report of April 28th, 1890. That has already been presented to the House (C. 6,059, 1890).