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(1) Section two of the Public Libraries Act, 1892 (which imposes limitations on the amount of the rate which may be levied for the purposes of that Act), shall cease to have effect, and where the expenses incurred by any library authority for the purposes of the Public Libraries Acts during the financial year current at the commencement of this Act exceed the amount produced by the maximum rate which the authority have power to levy for the purposes of those Acts, no part of those expenses shall be open to objection on the audit of the accounts of the authority on the ground that the statutory limitation on expenditure has been exceeded, if and in so far as the expenses were in the opinion of the Ministry of Health reasonably incurred:
§ Sir F. BANBURYI beg to move, in Sub-section (1), to leave out the words "cease to have effect," and to insert instead thereof the words "have effect as if twopence instead of one penny were there inserted."
It is very difficult in the hurry of Debate to put the Amendment in proper form, and I would again ask the Minister in charge of the Bill, in the interests of decency, not to persist in going on with the measure. This is a very important Amendment which is going to affect the whole country, and the right hon. Gentleman surely is not in a position, without consideration, to say exactly what words are necessary and where they should be put in. While I feel I must move the Amendment, I do hope that further progress with the Bill will not be insisted upon. To my mind, the Government are proceeding in an unconstitutional manner in acting as they are doing.
§ Sir J. BUTCHERI desire to support the Amendment, not because I am against expenditure on public libraries, but simply because I feel it is proper that some check should be placed upon it. As the right hon. Baronet has said, the ratepayers have very little control over the expenditure of the local authorities. Theoretically they have, but practically they have not. It appears to be a strong measure, after this 1d. rate has been in existence for over twenty years, that we should at this time, in a very thin House and in a way totally unexpected by the great majority of hon. Members, alter fundamentally the principles upon which this rate was originally sanctioned. Go where you will in the country, you hear bitter complaints of the continually increasing rates. They are a tremendous burden especially upon the middle class, the people with fixed incomes or diminishing incomes. Desirable as it may be to promote the study of literature—I fully appreciate what the Parliamentary Secretary says about that—the case ought to be met by increasing the rate to 2d., which would give double the opportunity of providing literature and maintaining the libraries. If there is no limitation, you may have an ambitious and not very wise committee of a council who desire to make a name for themselves under the pretence of encouraging literary pursuits. They may add 3d. or 6d. or more to the rates under this Bill and thereby inflict great hardship on the ratepayers. I beg the right hon. Gentleman 1783 to consider the position of the ratepayers in this matter. While adding a substantial benefit to those who are desirous, and properly desirous, of maintaining the public libraries by increasing the amount of the expenditure on them from a 1d. to a 2d. rate, he should give some protection to the ratepayers whose interests we in this House are bound to protect.
Mr. LEWISI would point out that this is an enabling Bill, and that no authority need spend a single penny under it unless it so desires. All over the country hundreds of thousands of authorities have no libraries at the present time. My hon. Friends assume that a larger amount will be spent here, there, and everywhere at once. Thai will not be the case. I would appeal to my hon. Friends not to press this Amendment, for one reason because there are towns in various parts of the country now who, under local Acts, are spending the 2d. rate, and the limitation might be very difficult in these cases. I would also urge upon them the danger of fixing a limit of 2d. or 3d. lest the authorities should be tempted unduly to act up to such a limit. As regards taking the Bill now, the Leader of the House stated at Question-time that it would he taken to-night.
§ Sir F. BANBURYNot all its stages.
Mr. LEWISNotice was given to a very large House that the Bill would be taken, and everybody, during the whole of the evening, expected it to come on. We have not received a single protest at the Board of Education from anyone against this Bill. I believe that the sense of the House as a whole is strongly in favour of the Bill as it stands. Only one Amendment was put down, and that dealt with a very trivial matter. I trust that my hon. Friends will not press their opposition to what I believe to be the general sense of the House.
Amendment negatived.
Bill read the third time, and passed.
§ The remaining Orders were read, and postponed.
§ It being after Half-past Eleven of the Clock, Mr. SPEAKER adjourned the House, without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.
§ Adjourned at, Five minutes before Twelve o'clock.