§ THE CHAIRMAN OF WAYS AND MEANS (Mr. EMMOTT,) Oldhammoved that the promoters of the Hammersmith City and North-East London Bill should have leave to suspend the Bill and proceed with it next session. He explained that the reason for this long motion was that the promoters of rival schemes had differed as to the meaning of a letter sent to them by the Board of Trade, with the result that, while the Hammersmith and City Scheme had been brought forward this year, the other scheme had not. At a Conference with the Board of Trade, the Chairman of the Lords Committee and himself, it had been decided that the Bill should not be allowed to proceed this session, and the object of the Motion was simply to save the promoters the expense and trouble of bringing in new plans, petitions, etc.
Motion made, and Question proposed,"That the Promoters of the Hammersmith, City, and North East London Railway Bill which has been introduced into this House in the present session of Parliament, shall have leave to suspend any further proceedings thereon, in order to proceed with the same 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 six 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 the money deposited in accordance with the Standing Orders of this House in respect of such Bill may thereupon be returned to the depositors.
"That the Promoters of such Bill may, on or before the 31st day of December next, deposit in the Private Bill Office an Estimate, signed by the person making the same, of the expense of the undertaking under the Bill, and, previously to the 15th day of January next, deposit a sum not less than five per centum on the amount of such Estimate with the Paymaster-General.
"That such Bill shall be referred to the Examiners, who shall certify whether or not the Promoters have made such deposit with the Paymaster-General, and, upon the Examiners certifying that such deposit has been made, that the proceedings on such Bill shall be pro forma 1592 only in regard to all other stages through which the same shall have passed in the present session, and no new fees shall be charged in regard to such stages.
"That such Bill shall be deposited in the Private Bill Office not later than six o'clock on or before the third day on which the House shall sit in the next session 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 if the money deposited in the present session, as required by Standing Order No. 57, in respect of such Bill has not been withdrawn as provided for by the preceding Resolutions, a certificate of that fact from the proper officer of the court in which such money was deposited shall accompany such declaration, and such Bill shall not be referred to the Examiners:
"That such Bill, indorsed by one of the Clerks in the Private Bill Office as having been duly deposited with such declaration and such certificate, if any, annexed, be laid by one of the Clerks of that Office upon the Table of the House in the next session of Parliament:
"That such Bill, so laid upon the Table, shall be deemed to have boon read a first time:
"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:
"That all Petitions presented in the present session against such Bill shall stand referred to the Committee on the Bill in the next session of Parliament, and that all Notices and grounds of objections to the right of Petitioners to be heard, given in the present session within the time prescribed by the Rules of the Referees relating to such Notices, shall be held applicable in the next session of Parliament:
"That no Petitioners shall be heard before the Committee on such Bill, unless their Petition shall have been presented within the time limited in the present session or in respect of which Standing Order No. 128 has been dispensed with in the present session, or unless their 1593 Petition shall be presented on or before the 12th day of February, 1907."—(The Chairman of Ways and Means.)
§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)said this was the strongest order he had ever known with regard to a Private Bill. It was a piece of special indulgence, and they ought to be told what precedents there were for it. They were asked to make a Standing Order for the benefit of private promoters.
§ MR. EMMOTTIt will lapse at the end of the next session.
§ MR. T. M. HEALYsaid he was aware of that, but he felt bound to enter a protest, especially as in all his experience no similar indulgence had ever been granted to small tiny Irish Bills which could not afford to pay the tremendous fees imposed, and which had no influence to secure this special treatment.
And, it being Three of the Clock, the Debate stood postponed until To-morrow, by the direction of the Chairman of Ways and Means.