§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ Motion made and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."
§ MR. BANBURY (Camberwell, Peckham)said he was sorry that the hon. Member in charge of the Bill had not given the House any information regarding it. The Bill provided that in Section 10 of the Public Houses (Hours of Closing) (Scotland) Act 1887 the words "and shall 652 not apply to any burgh, town, or populous place containing fifty thousand inhabitants and upwards" and the schedule to the said Act should be repealed. Unfortunately he had not been able to study the Public Houses (Hours of Closing) (Scotland) Act 1887, and it was impossible for anyone to understand what the Bill would effect. He had just seen a copy of the Act, but he was not quite certain that he thoroughly understood what it meant. It was necessary to look very carefully through the provisions of the Act. For instance, it said that in certain places the licensing authority should have power to close licensed premises not earlier than ten o'clock nor later than eleven o'clock. He could understand that in small places it might be convenient to close early, but the matter was different in large towns, where it seemed rather hard that people should be deprived of an opportunity of having a glass of beer after a hard day's work. That he thought was a strong argument against the Bill. Then again, the Act, as far as he could see, was permissive. He believed that Glasgow was very careful as to the morals and manners of its inhabitants, and therefore it was quite possible that in Glasgow the public houses might be closed unduly early.
§ It being midnight, the debate stood adjourned.
§ Debate to be resumed upon Monday next.
§ Adjourned at Five minutes after Twelve o'clock