§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Committee of Selection do nominate a Committee, not exceeding Eleven Members, to be called the Police and Sanitary Committee, to whom shall be committed all Private Bills promoted by municipal and other local authorities by which it is proposed to create powers relating to Police or Sanitary Regulations in conflict with, deviation from, or excess of the provisions of the general Law.
§ "That Standing Orders 150 and 173A apply to all such Bills.
§ "That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers, and records.
§ "That Four be the quorum of the Committee.
§ "That if the Committee shall report to the Committee of Selection that any Clauses of any Bill referred to them (other than Clauses containing police and sanitary regulations) are such, as having 532 regard to the terms of reference it is not in their opinion necessary or advisable for them to deal with, the Committee of Selection shall thereupon refer the Bill to a Select Committee, who shall consider those Clauses and so much of the Preamble of the Bill as relates thereto, and shall determine the expenditure (if any) to be authorised in respect of the parts of the Bill referred to them. That the Committee shall deal with the remaining Clauses of such Bill, and so much of the Preamble as relates thereto, and shall determine the period and mode of repayment of any money authorised by the Select Committee to be borrowed and shall report the whole Bill to the House, stating in their Report what parts of the Bill have been considered by each Committee.
§ "That the Committee have power, if they so determine, to sit as two Committees, and in that event to apportion the Bills referred to the Committee between the two Committees, each of which shall have the full powers of, and be subject to the instructions which apply to, the undivided Committee, and that Three be the quorum of each of the two Committees."—(Mr. Cochrane.)
§ * MR. JOHN ELLIS (Nottinghamshire, Rushcliffe)said that a year previously when a similar Motion was on the Paper he put down an Amendment which by accident was not discussed, and he had not done so this year because every one knew that the present was a moribund Parliamment, and probably it was the last time the Committee would be set up by this Parliament. If hon. Members referred to the records they would find that there used to be considerable discussion as to the policy of setting up of this Committeee, and the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Wolverhampton and other Members expressed strong opinions in regard to it. That arose no doubt from an unfortunate state of things which then existed, under which the Committee gave every little local authority all the powers they asked for in excess of and distinct from general powers. Hon. Members would remember how the boroughs of Torquay and Eastbourne obtained powers which they put to such use as to make it necessary for the House to step in and deprive them of such 533 powers. Since then a change had taken place in the policy of the Committee, which now required very strict proof as to the necessity for powers asked for. That principle had been pretty well established, so that it was not necessary to again raise the point. But there was one question he would like to touch upon, and that was as to the present exemption of members of this Committee from the necessity of referring to the declaration provided in Standing Order 117 as to the absence of personal interest or interest on the part of their constituencies in the matters with which the Committee had to deal. He was not making the observation in the slightest degree in a personal sense, but he could not see why the members of this Committee should not be subject to the conditions which attached to membership of other Committees, and he certainly should as at present advised raise the matter in the next Parliament.
§ * MR. SPEAKEROrder! order! It is a quarter past Two. The debate stands adjourned until to-morrow.
§ And, it being a quarter past Two of the clock, the debate stood adjourned.
§ Debate to be resumed to-morrow.