§ The Agriculture (Scotland) Fund shall be applied for the following purposes, that is to say, for the purpose of facilitating the constitution of new landholders' holdings and the improvement and rebuilding of dwelling-houses or other buildings on landholders' holdings in terms of the Landholders Acts or the Congested Districts (Scotland) Act, 1897, and for the purpose of exercising the other powers and duties conferred on or transferred to the Board by this Act, in accordance with schemes to be approved by the Secretary for Scotland.
§ Amendments made: After the word "holdings" ["new landholders' holdings"] insert the words "the enlargement of landholders' holdings."—[Mr. Ure.]
§ Leave out the words "on landholders' holdings" ["the improvement and rebuilding of dwelling-houses or other buildings on landholders' holdings"] and insert instead thereof the words "of landholders and cottars," put, and agreed to.—[Mr. Ure.]
§ Leave out the word "by" ["transferred to the Board by this Act"] and insert the words "under the provisions of," put, and agreed to.—[Mr. Ure.]
§ Mr. AINSWORTHI beg to move to add at the end of the Clause the words, "and also for the purpose of assisting necessitous local authorities in congested districts to carry out the requirements of the Public Health Acts on such terms and in accordance with such schemes as may be approved by the Secretary for Scotland."
I will detain the House for only a moment, but it is well within the knowledge of Members who either represent or are acquainted with the Highlands and islands of Scotland that there is an extreme difficulty in many of the congested parishes in carrying out their requirements. In some it is practically impossible to carry them out owing to the lowness of the rateable value. At the 1434 present moment it is impossible under the present state of things for the inhabitants to find the necessary money to enable them to carry them out. If these extra powers could be given to the Board of Agriculture which has now, according to the Act, taken over the finance of the Congested District Board, they will be able to deal with a case of this kind. Under these circumstances I think it is only fair that we should add that the Agriculture Funds, which are founded in the first instance on the money handed from Imperial sources for the special benefit of the necessitous districts, should be still made use of for the relief of those for whom it was intended. I hope the Lord Advocate may be able to accept my proposal, but if he cannot I would suggest that he might, before we meet again to proceed with the Bill, see if Clause 7, Sub-section (7) could not be so enlarged and strengthened as to enable us to get the assistance we want under that Clause, if not under this Amendment.
§ Mr. MACPHERSONI beg to second the Amendment.
§ Mr. W. HUNTERThe point raised by my hon. Friend is really dealt with, so far as the question of small holdings is concerned under the provisions of Sub-section (7) of Section 7, which we propose to deal with when we take up the further consideration of this Bill, and I do not think the words proposed could properly come in on Clause 6. I hope my hon. Friend will be satisfied that the provision of water in connection with the equipment of small holdings is sufficiently attended to by the words of Subsection (7) of Clause 7.
§ Question proposed, "That those words be there inserted in the Bill," put, and negatived.
§ Ordered, "That further consideration of the Bill, as amended, be now adjourned."—[The Lord Advocate.]
§ Bill, as amended (in the Standing Committee), to be further considered to-morrow (Tuesday).
§ Whereupon, Mr. SPEAKER, pursuant to the Order of the House of 24th October, proposed the Question, "That this House do now adjourn."
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Adjourned accordingly, at Fifteen minutes after One a.m., Tuesday, 7th November, 1911.