§ As amended, further considered.
§ DR. CLARK (Caithness)On behalf of my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester (Mr. Picton), I should like to move to leave out the words "Lord Chancellor," for the purpose of inserting the words "the County Council."
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. STUART WORTLEY,) Sheffield, HallamI rise to a point of Order. On a previous occasion an Amendment was brought forward on 1080 line 17, and we have now got past the point at which the hon. Member proposes to make an Amendment.
§
On Motion of Mr. HOBHOUSE (Somerset, E.) the following Amendments were agreed to:—
Clause 1, page 1, lines 18 and 19, leave out "or by the chairman or mayor, as the case may be, of the council who appointed the coroner"; page 2, line 13, leave out "two," and insert "three.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read the third time."
§ DR. CLARKThere is a great change made by this Bill in introducing the Lord Chancellor, and I think it would be well to postpone it till tomorrow, in order that we may consider the matter.
§ MR. PICTON (Leicester)I am sorry I was not in my place just now. I was only called out for a moment on a matter of Parliamentary business. I must say that there is amongst my constituents a very strong objection to this Bill, and I believe that objection is shared by other towns. It is a move in the direction of centralisation, and many of us think we have got enough of that already. The counties are quite capable of managing their own business without the interference of the Lord Chancellor. When the Coroner desires to appoint a deputy the matter is referred to an altogether different authority from that which is responsible for the appointment of the chief officer. I think this matter has been rather rushed upon the House, and there has not been sufficient time to consider it; and I think that not only at the end of a Parliamentary Session, but at the end of a Parliament, to press a matter of this kind, which is really a substantial change without the knowledge of the Municipalities, is not only an imprudent but an unstatesmanlike course. I suppose I should not now be in Order to move the Amendment of which I have given notice, but I should like to ask if I should be in Order to move the re-committal of the Bill for the purpose of inserting those words in Clause 1?
§ MR. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is in Order.
§ MR. PICTONThen I move that the Bill be re-committed.
§ Amendment proposed, to leave out the words "now read the third time," in order to add the words "re-committed in respect of Clause 1."—(Mr. Picton.)
§ Question proposed, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Bill."
§ Question put.
§ (6.5.) The House divided:—Ayes 119; Noes 55.—(Div. List, No. 188.)
§ Main Question put, and agreed to.
§ Bill read the third time, and passed. [New Title.]