§ MR. SPEAKERA message has been received from the House of Lords to the effect that they do not insist on their Amendment to the Cabs and Stage Carriages (London) Bill, to which the Commons have disagreed, but propose other Amendments in lieu thereof, in which they desire the concurrence of this House.
§ THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. H. SAMUEL, Yorkshire, Cleveland)stated that the House of Lords had not insisted on their Amendment for the excision of the clause abolishing the privilege cab system. After a somewhat prolonged discussion they had been able to make an arrangement with the opponents of the clause, in consequence of which they had withdrawn their opposition to it. The Amendments of the House of Lords were three in number. Two of them were Amendments of little more than form, and would in no way impair the substance of the clause. The third was to limit the operation of the clause to a period of two years. It was with regret that the Government accepted the Amendment; but he would point out that the Select Committee which considered the matter last year recommended that the privilege system should be abolished experimentally for one year. They had now secured a period of two years, and if the experiment was, as they expected, successful, the clause would be continued from year to year in the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill.
§ Lords Amendments to the Bill, instead of the Amendment to which this House hath disagreed, to be considered forthwith (Mr. Herbert Samuel); considered, and agreed to.