Commons Sitting of 13 February 1907

Preamble
The House met at a quarter before Three of the Clock.
PRIVATE BILL BUSINESS

  PRIVATE BILLS.
  The CHAIRMAN OF WAYS AND MEANS reported, That, in accordance with Standing Order 79, he had conferred with the Chairman of Committees of the House of Lords, for the purpose of determining in which House of Parliament the respective Private Bills should be first considered, and they had determined that the Bills contained in the following List should originate in the House of Lords, viz.: Ashton-under-Lyne, Stalybridge, and Dukinfield (District) Waterworks; Barnsley, Wombwell and Wath Tramways; Birkenhead Corporation Water; Birmingham Corporation; Birmingham Corporation Water; Borax Consolidated; Broadstairs and St. Peter's Urban District Water; Burnham (Somerset) Pier; Cavehill and Whitewell Tramways; City of London (Union of Parishes); Colne Valley Water; Coventry Corporation Water; Devonport Corporation; Electric Supply Corporation; Folkestone, Sandgate, and Hythe Tramways; Great Yarmouth Waterworks and Lowestoft Water and Gas; Harrison's Patent; Heywood and Middleton Water Board; Humber Conservancy; Kendal Corporation; Kensington Borough Council (Superannuation); King Edward's Hospital Fund for London; Linthwaite and Golcar Urban District Councils; Manchester Corporation Tramways; Manchester Ship Canal (Bridgewater Canal); Manchester Ship Canal (Various Powers); Medway Lower Navigation; Merthyr Tydvil Stipendiary Justice; Metropolitan Railway (Pension Fund); Middlesbrough Corporation; Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, and Thornaby Tramways; Midland Railway; Midland Railway (West Riding Lines) Abandonment; National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; Newcastle-upon-Tyne Corporation; Newquay and District Water; North British Railway (Substituted Bill); Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corpora-
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  tion; Ogmore and Garw Urban District Council (Water Supply, etc.); Oxford and District Tramways; Pontypridd Urban District Council; Portishead District Water; Royal Insurance Company; St. Neot's Urban District Council; Selsey Water and Gas; Sheffield Corporation; Society of Apothecaries of London; South Lincolnshire Water; Southend Corporation; Southend Water; Southport, Birkdale, and West Lancashire Water Board; Staveley Coal and Iron Company; Sutton Coldfield Rectory; Tees Conservancy; Tees Valley Water (Consolidation); Tyne Improvement; Tynemouth Corporation (Water); United Methodist Church; Western Valleys (Monmouthshire) Sewerage Board; West Riding Tramways; West Yorkshire Tramways; Weston-Super-Mare Grand Pier; Wisbech Water; York and District Tramways; York (Micklegate Strays).

  LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROVISIONAL ORDERS (No. 1) BILL.
  "To confirm certain Provisional Orders of the Local Government Board relating to Barnsley, Neath, West Ham, and Wood Green," presented by Dr. Macnamara; read the first time; to be referred to the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills, and to be printed. [Bill 1.]
  LONDON GOVERNMENT SCHEME (SOUTHWARK BOROUGH MARKET) BILL.
  "To confirm a Scheme made under The London Government Act, 1899, relating to the Southwark Borough Market," presented by Dr. Macnamara; read the first time; to be referred to the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills, and to be printed. [Bill 2.]
PETITIONS.
  PARLIAMENTARY FRANCHISE.
  Petition from Mile End, for extension to women; to lie upon the Table.
RETURNS, REPORTS, ETC.

  GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS (IRELAND.)
  Ordered, That the Return relative to Government Departments (Ireland) which

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  was presented on 10th December 1906, except so much as relates to the General Post Office (Ireland), be printed. [No. 8].

  CIVIL SERVICES AND REVENUE DEPARTMENTS (APPROPRIATION ACCOUNTS).
  Appropriation Accounts presented, for the year ending 31st March 1906, together with the Reports of the Comptoller and Auditor-General thereon and certain Reports upon Store Accounts (by Act); to lie upon the Table, and to be printed. [No. 9.]
  PASSENGERS TO AND FROM PLACES OUT OF EUROPE.
  Copy presented, of Return showing (1) Numbers and Nationalities of the Passengers that left or arrived in the United Kingdom for or from places out of Europe; and (2) The net balance of such Passengers outward or inward in each month of the year 1907 (by Command); to lie upon the Table.
  OPTIONS AND FUTURES IN FOOD STUFFS (LEGISLATION RESPECTING).
  Copy presented, of Reports from the Canadian Government and His Majesty's Representatives Abroad on Legislative Measures respecting Gambling in "Option" and "Future" Contracts as regards Food Stuffs [by Command]; to lie upon the Table.
  WAGES AND EFFECTS OF DECEASED SEAMEN.
  Account presented, of the Sums received and paid in respect of the Wages and Effects of Deceased Seamen in the year ended 31st March, 1906 [by Command]; to lie upon the Table.
  RAMSGATE HARBOUR.
  Copy presented, of Statement of the Receipts and Payments for the year ended 31st March, 1906, together with an Account of the Receipt and Issue of Stores [by Act]; to lie upon the Table, and to be printed. [No. 10.]

  FACTORY AND WORKSHOP ACTS (DANGEROUS AND UNHEALTHY INDUSTRIES).
  Copy presented, of Regulations, dated 21st January, 1907, made by the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
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  in pursuance of Section 79 of The Factory and. Workshop Act, 1901, for the manufacture of Paints and Colours [by Act]; to lie upon the Table.

  SHOP HOURS ACT, 1904.
  Copy presented, of Order made by the Council of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich, and confirmed by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, fixing the hours of closing for certain Classes of Shops [by Act]; to lie upon the Table.
  PERTH PRISON.
  Return presented, relative thereto [ordered 22nd November, 1906; Mr. Mitchell-Thomson]; to lie upon the Table, and to be printed. [No. 11.]
  NAVY ESTIMATES, 1907–8.
  Estimates presented, for the year 1907–8, with Explanation of Differences [by Command]; to lie upon the Table, and to be printed. [No. 12.]
  NAVY (STATEMENT EXPLANATORY OF ESTIMATES).
  Copy presented, of Statement of the First Lord of the Admiralty explanatory of the Navy Estimates, 1907–8 [by Command]; to lie upon the Table.

  BREWERS' LICENCES.
  Return ordered, of "Accounts of the number of persons in each of the several Collections of the United Kingdom licensed as Brewers for sale, i.e., Common Brewers, Victuallers, Retailers of beer to be drunk on the premises, Retailers of beer not to be drunk on the premises, and Brewers of beer not for sale, particularising each class in each collection; and of the number of Licences issued to Victuallers and Retailers of beer to be drunk on the premises and not to be drunk on the premises; and stating also the quantities of malt, unmalted corn, rice, etc., sugar, including its equivalent of syrups, etc., hops and hop substitutes, used by Brewers of beer for sale, and of malt and sugar used by Brewers not for sale, from the 1st day of October, 1905, to the 30th day of September, 1906."
  "Of the amount of Licence Duty paid and Beer Duty charged from the 1st day of October, 1905, to the 30th day of

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  September, 1906, distinguishing Brewers for sale from other Brewers."
  "Of the number of Brewers for sale (i.) who use malt and hops, or hop substitutes only, and (ii.) who use malt with substitutes for same and hops or hop substitutes paying for Licences, from the 1st day of October, 1905, to the 30th day of September, 1906, separating them into classes, according to the number of barrels of beer charged with duty calculated at l·055 degrees gravity, viz.: under 1,000 barrels; 1,000 and under 10,000; 10,000 and under 20,000; 20,000 and under 30,000; 30,000 and under 50,000; 50,000 and under 100,000; 100,000 and under 150,000; 150,000 and under 200,000; 200,000 and under 250,000; 250,000 and under 300,000; 300,000 and under 350,000; 350,000 and under 400,000; 400,000 and under 450,000; 450,000 and under 500,000; 500,000 and under 600,000; 600,000 and under 700,000; 700,000 and under 800,000; 800,000 and under 900,000; 900,000 and under 1,000,000; 1,000,000 and under 1,500,000; 1,500,000 and under 2,000,000; 2,000,000 barrels and over; showing separately, in each class, the quantities of malt, unmalted corn, rice, etc., sugar, including its equivalent of syrups, etc., hops and hop substitutes used; and stating also the number of bulk barrels of beer produced, and the amount of Licence Duty paid and Beer Duty charged in each class."
  "And, of the number of barrels of beer exported from the United Kingdom, and the declared value thereof, and where exported to, from the 1st day of October, 1905, to the 30th day of September, 1906, distinguishing England, Scotland, and Ireland (in continuation of Parliamentary Paper, No. 45, of Session 1906)."—(Mr. Runciman.)

  PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES (ELECTORS, ETC.), UNITED KINGDOM
  Address for "Return showing, with regard to each Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom, the total number, and as far as possible, the number in each class, of electors on the register now in force; and also showing the population and inhabited houses in each constituency (in continuation of Parliamentary Paper, No. 50, of Session 1905, and of Command Paper 2807, of 1906)"—(Sir Charles Dilke.)
QUESTION AND ANSWER CIRCULATED WITH THE VOTES.

  Cerebral Meningitis.
  SIR FRANCIS CHANNING: To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he will send a circular to local authorities recommending them to use their powers to extend the provisions of the Notification of Diseases Act to cerebral meningitis, or will promptly introduce a short Bill to include this disease under this Act.
  (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) The Local Government Board issued a circular to local authorities, in August 1905, enclosing a memorandum, which had been prepared by their medical officer, on the subject of cerebro-spinal fever. In that circular the Board intimated that they would be prepared to consider any application made to them by a sanitary authority for their approval to an extension of the provisions of The Infectious Disease (Notification)Act, 1889, to that disease for a limited period.

  NEW WRIT.
  New writ for the Burgh of Aberdeen (South Division), in the room of the Right Hon. James Bryce (Manor of Northstead).—(Mr. Whiteley.)
  NEW BILL.
    PUBLIC HEALTH (REGULATIONS AS TO FOOD) BILL.
    "To enable Regulations to be made for the prevention of danger arising to public health from the importation, preparation, storage, and distribution of articles of food," presented by Mr. Burns; to be read a second time upon Monday next, and to be printed. [Bill 3.]

    BALLOT FOR BILLS AND MOTIONS.
    Ordered, "That no Bills, other than Government Bills, be introduced in anticipation of the ballot, and that all Members who desire to ballot, whether for Bills, or for Motions for Tuesday 19th February, and Tuesday 26th February, and Wednesday 20th February, and Wednesday

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    27th February, do hand in their names at the Table during the sitting of the House on Tuesday 12th February or Wednesday 13th February, and that a copy of such notices be handed in at the latest during the sitting of the House on Thursday 14th February."
    "That the ballot for the precedence of the said Bills and Motions be taken on Thursday 14th February, at a convenient time and place, to be appointed by Mr. Speaker, and that the presentation of Bills on Friday 15th February be taken as soon after Twelve o'clock as Mr. Speaker may deem convenient."—(Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman.)

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE (KING'S SPEECH, MOTION FOR AN ADDRESS).
Ordered, "That the Proceedings on the Address, in answer to His Majesty's Speech, shall, until concluded, have precedence of all other Orders of the Day, and of notices of Motions, at all Sittings for which they are set down."—(Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman.)