HC Deb 09 August 1904 vol 139 cc1540-6

That they have agreed to—Leeds University Bill; Electric Lighting (London) Bill, without Amendment.

Licensing Bill; Pier and Harbour Provisional Order (No. 3) Bill; Middlesborough, Stockton-on-Tees, and Thornaby Tramways Bill; Clyde Navigation (Works) Bill, with Amendments.

Amendments to—Water Orders Confirmation Bill [Lords]; Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (No. 2) Bill [Lords]; Tramways Orders Confirmation (No. 2) Bill [Lords]; Bridlington Corporation Bill [Lords]; Bristol Corporation Bill [Lords]; Buxton Urban District Council I Bill [Lords]; Trafford Park Bill [Lords]; Stretford Urban District Council Bill [Lords]; Barry Railway (Steam Vessels) Bill [Lords]; Belfast and North East Ireland Electricity and Power-Gas Bill [Lords]; Belfast Corporation Tramways Bill [Lords]; Neath, Pontardawe, and Brynaman Railway Bill [Lords], without Amendment.

That they have passed a Bill, intituled, "An Act to Regulate Whale Fisheries in Scotland." [Whale Fisheries (Scotland) Bill [Lords.]

And, also, a Bill, intituled, "An Act to, confirm a Provisional Order under The Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act, 1899, relating to Glasgow Corporation (Sewage)." [Glasgow Corporation (Sewage) Order Confirmation Bill [Lords.]

Leeds Corporation (Consolidation) Bill. That they have come to the following Resolution, viz.:—

That the Promoters of the Leeds Corporation (Consolidation) Bill have leave Ito suspend any further proceedings thereon in order to proceed with the Bill, if they shall think fit, in the next Session of Parliament, provided that notice of their intention to do so be lodged in the Private Bill Office not later than Three o'clock on the day prior to the close of the present Session, and that all fees due thereon up to that period be paid.

That such Bill shall be deposited in the Private Bill Office not later than Three o'clock on or before the third day on which the House shall sit after the next meeting of Parliament, with a declaration annexed thereto, signed by the Agent, stating that the Bill is the same in every respect as the Bill at the last stage of the proceedings thereon in this House in the present Session.

That the proceedings on such Bill shall be pro forma only in regard to every stage through which the same shall have passed in the present Session, and that no new fees be charged in regard to such stages.

That the Standing Orders by which the proceedings on Bills are regulated shall not apply to such Bill in regard to any of the stages through which the same shall have passed during the present Session; and desire the concurrence of this House in such Resolution.

THE CHAIRMAN OF WAYS AND MEANS (Mr. J. W. LOWTHER,) Cumberland, Penrith

moved that the Standing Orders relating to Private Business be amended as follows:—

In page 57, Standing Order 9, paragraph (2), line 2, after the word "taking," to insert the words "or compulsory user."

In Standing Order 9, paragraph (2), line 3, after the word "taking," to insert the words "or compulsory user."

In Standing Order 9, paragraph (3), line 2, after the word "taking," to insert the words "or compulsory user."

In Standing Order 9, paragraph (3), line 3, after the word "taking" to insert the words "or compulsory user."

In Standing Order 9, paragraph (3), line 13, after the word "taken," to insert the words "or compulsorily used."

In Standing Order 9, paragraph (3), line 15, after the word "taking," to insert the words "or compulsory user."

In page 60, Standing Order 24, at end, after the word "Agriculture," to add the words "and Fisheries."

In page 61, Standing Order 26, line 4, to leave out the words "Fisheries and."

In page 61, Standing Order 26a, line 5, after the words "of the," to insert the words "Board of Agriculture and."

In page 61, Standing Order 26a, line 6 to leave out the words "and Harbour Department of the Board of Trade."

In page 62, Standing Order 30, at end, after the word "Agriculture," to add the words "and Fisheries."

In page 63, Standing Order 33, paragraph (4), line 2, to leave out the words "Fisheries and."

In page 63, Standing Order 33, paragraph (5), line 3, after the words "of the," to insert the words "Board of Agriculture and."

In page 63, Standing Order 33, paragraph (5), lines 3 and 4, to leave out the words "and Harbour Department of the Board of Trade."

In page 63, Standing Order 33, paragraph (7), line 7, to leave out the word "labouring," and to insert the word "working."

In page 64, Standing Order 33, paragraph (14), line 6 after the word "Agriculture," to insert the words "and Fisheries."

In page 64, Standing Order 33, paragraph (14), at end, after the word "Agriculture," to add the words "and Fisheries."

In page 65, to leave out Standing Order 38, and to insert new Standing Order 38—

38. Where any Bill contains or revives or extends power to take compulsorily or by agreement any land in any local area as defined for the purposes of this Order, and such taking involves, or may involve, the taking in that area of any house or houses occupied either wholly or partially by thirty or more persons of the working class, whether as tenants or lodgers, the promoters shall deposit in the Private Bill Office, and at the office of the central authority, on or before the 21st day of December, a statement giving the description and postal address of each of such houses, its number on the deposited plans, the parish in which it is situate, and the number (so far as can be ascertained) of persons of the working class residing in it, and also a copy of so much of the deposited plans (if any) as re ates thereto.

This Order shall not apply where a statement in pursuance of this Order was deposited in respect of the Act, the powers of which are proposed to be revived or extended.

For the purposes of this Order the expression "local area" means—

  1. (1) as respects London the Administrative County of London.
  2. (2) as respects England and Wales (outside London) any borough, or other urban district, and elsewhere than in a borough or other urban district, any parish.
  3. (3) as respects Scotland, any district within the meaning of The Public Health (Scotland) Act, 1897; and
  4. (4) as respects Ireland, any urban district.

The expression "house" means any house or part of a house occupied as a separate dwelling.

The expression "working class" means mechanics, artisans, labourers, and others working for wages, hawkers, costermongers, persons not working for wages but working at some trade or handicraft without employing others except members of their own family, and persons, other than domestic servants, whose income in any case does not exceed an average of thirty shillings a week and the families of any of such persons who may be residing with them.

The expression "central authority" means, as regards London, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, and, as regards England and Wales, outside London, the Local Government Board, as regards Scotland, the Secretary for Scotland, and, as regards Ireland, the Local Government Board for Ireland.

The expression "Bill" includes a Bill confirming a Provisional Order.

In page 80, Standing Order 76, line 3, after the word "England," to insert the words "or in Ireland."

In Standing Order 76, line 4, after the word "oaths," to insert the word "and."

In Standing Order 76, to leave out from the word "and," in line 5, to end of Order.

In page 81, Standing Order 84, line 11, after the words "Agriculture," to insert the words "and Fisheries."

In page 86, Standing Order 128, line 7, after the word "Bills," to insert the words "originating in this House."

In page 87, to leave out Standing Order 133a, and insert new Standing Order 133a—

133a. Where any society or association sufficiently representing a trade, business, or interest in any district to which any Bill relates, petition against the Bill alleging that such trade, business, or interest will be injuriously affected by the provisions contained therein, it shall be competent to the Referees on Private Bills, if they think fit, to admit the petitioners to be heard on such allegations against the Bill or any part thereof.

In page 88, Standing Order 141, line 4, after the word "England," to insert the words "or in Ireland."

In Standing Order 141, line 5, after the word "Oaths," to insert the word "and."

In Standing Order 141, to leave out from the word "and," in line 6, to the end of the Order.

In page 99, Standing Order 184, line 2, after the word "land," to insert the words "in Scotland or Ireland."

In Standing Order 184, paragraph (1), to leave out from the second word "in," in line 2, to the second word "more," in line 3, and to insert the words "any house or."

In Standing Order 184, paragraph (1), line 4, after the word "by," to insert the words "thirty or more."

In Standing Order 184, paragraph (1), line 4, to leave out the word "labouring," and insert the word "working."

In page 100, Standing Order 184, to leave out from the words "the Committee," in line 15 of the page, to the word "Bill," in line 20.

In page 108, Standing Order 207, at end, add—

Provided that where any such Opposed Private Business is set down to be taken at the beginning of an Evening Sitting and is disposed of, any Motion contingent directly or otherwise thereon may with the assent of the Chair be considered and disposed of at the same sitting.

In page 119, insert new Standing Order 254a—

254a. Where, under the provisions of Section 9 of the Procedure Act, a Confirmation Bill has been referred to a Joint Committee, the Committee of this House shall consist of three members, to be nominated by the Committee of Selection.

MR. J. W. LOWTHER

explained that the first batch of Amendments were purely formal, being necessitated by the transference of the Fisheries from the Board of Trade to the Agricultural Department. The proposed new Standing Order 38 was necessary for this reason. Last session, under the Housing of the Working Class Act, a new principle was adopted that, where land was taken compulsorily, the actual number of the working classes should be ascertained and provision made accordingly. It therefore became necessary to amend the Standing Order. The Amendment to Standing Order 76, to insert on page 80, after "England" the words "or in Ireland" was simply in order to enable affidavits which had to be sworn and produced before the examiners to be taken in Ireland in the same way as they were taken in England, namely, before a commissioner qualified to administer oaths. Under the Standing Order, as it stood at present, they had to be taken before assistant barristers, which office, he was told, had become obsolete. The next Amendment of some importance was 133a, "Locus Standi of Associations, etc." This went one step further than they hail hitherto gone and would make it possible, subject to the assent of the Court of Referees, for any bona-fide associations, which it could be proved to the Court of Referees were likely to be injuriously affected by any Private Bill, to be heard. This had really been forced upon the Court of Referees by reason of cases that had come before them from time to time where associations wished to be heard, but could not be heard. Then the last Order but one on the Paper related to the arrangement of private business. At present any Instruction upon an opposed Private Bill could not be taken at the same evening's sitting, but this Amendment would make it possible to do so. It would not put private Members in any better position. Objection being taken by Mr. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis) to an Amendment to Standing Order 33, consideration of the Motion was postponed till Thursday at the evening sitting.

Forward to