§ Mr. SPEAKERDoes the right hon. and gallant Gentleman the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Colonel Wedgwood) wish to move to leave out Clause 2?
§ Colonel WEDGWOODI beg to move, in page 2, line 16, to leave out Clause 2.
I do not propose to take very long over it. What I propose is to ask the Government, seeing that they have already indicated that they are prepared to make a concession to the Opposition on this Clause, to prefer the Amendment which we have put on the Paper in a draft form this afternoon to the Amendment which stands in the name of the hon. Member for Reading (Mr. H. Williams)—[in page 2, line 33,, to leave out the word " twenty-nine " and to insert instead thereof the word " thirty "]. Clause 2, as the House will readily see, is the Clause which stops what is called advance booking, but advance booking is quite a wrong name for the actual effect of this Clause. Advance booking, as a normal person would understand it, is prohibited in Clause 1; that is to say, no agreement to rent a film can be made before the film is actually in existence, registered and trade-shown. In Clause 2 709 they are dealing with another matter. After the film has been trade-shown and registered, the ordinary cinematograph exhibitor may hire that film for show within a certain period. He can book six months ahead; that is to say, he can hire the film from the renter when he has seen the goods, and show it in his picture palace, within six months of that date, but if it is more than six months, he cannot do it. The hon. Member for Reading desires to spread the period, so that for at least a couple of years the exhibitor will be able to buy, after he has seen the goods, for exhibition in his picture palace. That is an improvement. What we seek to do is to make the six months into nine months for all time, so that, at any rate, the cinematograph exhibitor should be able to buy it for exhibition in his cinema up to nine months from the date when he sees the film.
I hope the Government will accept that rather than the other Amendment, but what I want to find out is why they want this Clause in at all. Why stop a man who sees the goods from buying them for exhibition 1 I cannot conceive of any reason. The only reason that has been given to me is that the cinematograph exhibitors want this prohibition in. If any Member of this House can explain to me why cinema exhibitors, or, rather, their organisation, should want themselves to be stopped from buying goods to show more than six months ahead, I shall be very glad to hear the reason. As a matter of fact, a number of the cinema exhibitors have written, or spoken to me about this very point. It affects particularly the small houses and their owners. The big houses, when they are booking their films, naturally book for first cut at a film, but the small house only has the second run of the film, which naturally takes place at a far longer interval after the trade-show, so that the small man sees the film and then he has to wait and to think: " I cannot order it for three weeks or three months or six months. I could put it down on my list for a year ahead, but I cannot make sure of it for three months or six months' time "; and anybody can see that this is going to be a great inconvenience to the small cinema owner.
I do not see the advantage of it to any owner. What has been put to me—and I think there is something in it—is that 710 the owners say: "We sometimes pay by ante-dated cheque; we pay our account, sign the cheque, and put a date on it which will make that cheque negotiable only at a certain date. May we, under this Bill, order the film and post-date the order, so that by that time the necessary period has expired, and then we can get first cut at it" 1 It appears that a lot of these cinema exhibitors run after these films, that there is a great desire to be first in the field to book some of these films, and, if possible, they would like to know whether they could order from the renters of films, although they do not want them for more than six months after the trade-show, by an order which shall be so dated that they will not be breaking the law. I told them that I thought that would be illegal under this Clause, but I am not certain. It is just that sort of difficulty which no Government in their senses can really want to inflict upon a perfectly innocent trade. If the Government have not got any really strong arguments in favour of the Amendment of the hon. Member for Heading, I wish they would accept ours and give us at least nine months, though I would naturally prefer that the whole Clause should go altogether.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERPerhaps I might be permitted, before dealing with the merits of this Clause, to follow up what the right hon. and gallant Gentleman has said about the possibility of an arrangement. I think we can get a perfectly reasonable arrangement by which material matters in this Bill can be discussed without keeping us up until outrageous hours of the night or morning, and I appreciate that, if the Bill is to be. approached in that spirit, all reasonable accommodation on one side and the other should be given. Our discussion is interrupted on Wednesday by the Vote of Censure, but on the understanding that we should take this Bill again tomorrow, that it should be unnecessary for us to suspend the Eleven o'Clock Rule to-morrow, and that we should bring the Report and Third Reading to an end at half-past seven on Thursday evening, there are two points on which some accommodation, I think, might not unreasonably be made. If I am making this proposal, I think I ought to say at once how far I am prepared to go on the points which we have been discussing and on points still to be discussed. I should 711 be prepared to advise the House to accept an Amendment making the whole of this part of the Bill temporary—that, in fact, the whole Act would be a temporary Act. I agree that it may be argued—I have argued it myself—that if this Bill is right in principle, we ought to keep it going for ever. But, on the other hand, if we have the provision in force for a period, and the trade accommodates itself to it, and the thing proves to be convenient, then we ought not, at the end of that time, to rely on an Act of Parliament. If my view is right, the Act of Parliament will then be unnecessary. If the view of the right hon. and gallant Gentleman opposite is right, and the Act has been wrong, then the Act would come to an end. If they meet me in that way, I think it will be reasonable to make the whole of the Act of a temporary character; that is to say, that both Part I and Part II, and the whole administration of the Act, should come to an end when the quota comes to an end.
§ Mr. A. V. ALEXANDERI want to be quite clear about this. I could not accept an arrangement which was capable of being continued from year to year under the Expiring Laws Continuance Act.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe hon. Gentleman knows that no one can bind successive Governments. I believe that there is hardly any Act in the world which cannot be continued in an Expiring Laws Continuance Act, but I am quite clear as to what I mean. Parliament might pass a one-Clause Bill and say that this Act, notwithstanding anything, should continue for ever, but I am quite clear as to what I mean to be in the Bill. I mean, with the assistance of the Parliamentary draftsman, that what we should do is to legislate simply for 10 years, and that, so far as this Bill goes, this Bill, both as regards the quota and the other provisions, should all come to an end at the same time. That being so, the other suggestion which I have to make as in all the circumstances reasonable is that the quota should be fixed, instead of at a period of 12 years, at a period of 10 years. It was argued before that you must have a reasonable time, and I think it is feasible that, provided you give this industry time to have a year or two on 712 the maximum quota, if you are limiting it at all, you should not carry on the Act for a longer period than is absolutely necessary.
I agree it is a matter of give and take and accommodation as to what is a reasonable period, and the suggestion is that it should be a period of 10 years instead of the 12 years which now figures in the Bill. If we can meet on that basis we shall be doing a very reasonable and practical thing, and I will make myself responsible for having upon the Order Paper to-morrow the necessary Amendments which will both limit the operation of the whole of the Bill and of the quota to the 10 years, and whatever consequential Amendments are necessary. I give that undertaking now at once, and on that I understand that we may continue the Bill to-morrow and that we need not suspend the Eleven o'clock Rule and can bring our discussions to a end at 7.30 or thereabouts on Thursday evening.
With regard to the Clause itself, it is, as the right hon. and gallant Gentleman appreciates, the counterpart of Clause 1. What we are setting out to do is to put a stop to blind booking and to put a limit on advance booking. If Clause 2 were not in the Bill, there would still be an unlimited amount of advance booking, provided only that the films had been trade shown, and there would be nothing to prevent a renter from forcing English exhibitors to take an unlimited number of films, provided that they had been trade shown. I have received the strongest representation from exhibitors to maintain this Clause. They regard it as hardly less necessary than Clause 1. The view expressed to me by the exhibitors is that the period is a matter of trade convenience between exhibitors and renters. The exhibitors expressed preference for six months and the renters for nine months, and I think the fair thing to do is to accept the compromise which stands in the name of the hon. Member for Beading (Mr. H. Williams), and which I am informed by these sections of the trade would be agreeable as reasonable. We give the trade time to adjust itself; the first period remains 12 months, and the second nine; but there are to be two years instead of one year and then, after the third year, the period shall be six months. I invite the House to accept the Amendment in that form.
§ Mr. A. V. ALEXANDERMay I say a word about the arrangement upon which the President of the Board of Trade has spoken 1 Although the concessions by no means meet what we really require, nevertheless they are very substantial and considerable; but, while we realise the position, I want to make it quite clear that in communicating that to one or two of the leaders of our party we were not aware that it was proposed to close the Debate on Thursday evening. We have not had an opportunity of saying what time was suggested.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI understand that it was originally suggested that there should be two days, and then there was a suggestion that the Third Reading should be taken on Friday. I understand that the arrangement already tentatively made is that it is more convenient to take the Landlord and Tenant Bill on Friday.
§ Mr. MacLARENAnd get on with something sensible.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTEREverybody is entitled to his opinion. It would be more convenient to give half-a-day on Thursday to the present Bill instead of taking half-a-day on Friday, which is equivalent to half-a-day.
§ Mr. ALEXANDERI am only making it clear that in our discussions with the Leader of the party we understood that we would get three full days, but closing at 7.30 on Thursday makes 2| days; and I am only saying, before we go any further, that we shall have to report what the President of the Board of Trade has said so that we may make our position clear.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI understand it is merely a question of reporting the modification of dates—
§ Colonel WEDGWOODWhich we shall support.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI think that the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Platting (Mr. Clynes) was in his place when I reported the agreement, but I take it that the Leader of the Opposition has to be informed of this merely for the purpose of confirmation and not for further negotiation.
§ Mr. ALEXANDERI anticipate no difficulty. I want to make it perfectly 714 clear that we have not had time to consult our leaders, but I have no doubt that it will be all right. With regard to the Amendment, I cannot understand why the President of the Board of Trade puts up the case that he does. If a film has actually been trade shown, why on earth should not a cinematograph exhibitor, if he wants to, book that film for a period longer ahead than six months. We have put this case again and again right through all the stages of the Bill, and we have never yet had a completely satisfactory answer to it. I consider that a very grave injustice will be done to some of the proprietors and managers of the second- and third-run cinema companies, and I want to put briefly to the House the case I put in Committee on this point. When I am at home I am expected sometimes to take the family to the nearest picture-house and that picture-house is not what you call a first-run house. It is a house where you get the second or third run of the bookings of a particular film, but it is important to the people who have their money invested in that house that all their regular clients should not be always running away three, four or five miles to see the first show of a film by what is called a first-run house. It is very essential therefore that they should be able to throw upon their screen from week to week announcements of the films they have got coming, including perhaps the very star or feature film which is being shown in some big cinema within three or four miles of that theatre. That is very important. I live in the constituency of the right hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary—
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERDid you vote for him?
§ Mr. ALEXANDERI had no opportunity of exercising my franchise.
§ Mr. ERNEST BROWNDid the family?
§ Mr. ALEXANDERI was engaged in getting other people to exercise their franchise. I should have thought that the Home Secretary would have been particularly anxious to see that a house such as they have in Twickenham is properly safeguarded in a matter of this kind. It seems to me perfectly ridiculous that in a Bill which starts off by saying it is wrong to have blind booking you 715 have a provision of this sort, and in the interests of the trade itself it ought to be open to the man who owns a second-or third-run house to be able to book six or nine months ahead all these star films.
§ Question put, "That the words proposed to be left out to the word ' and,' in line 32, stand part of the Bill."
§ The House divided: Ayes, 232; Noes, 117.
717| White, Lieut.-Col. Sir G. Dalrymple | Winterton. Rt. Hon. Earl | Wood, Sir Kingsley (Woolwich W.). |
| Williams, Com. C. (Devon, Torquay) | Withers, John James | Worthington-Evans, Rt. Hon. Sir L. |
| Williams, Herbert G. (Reading) | Wolmer, Viscount | Yerburgh, Major Robert D. T. |
| Wilson, R. R. (Stafford, Lichfield) | Womersley, W. J. | Young, Rt. Hon Sir Hilton (Norwich) |
| Winby, Colonel L. P. | Wood, B. C. (Somerset, Bridgwater) | |
| Windsor-Clive, Lieut.-Colonel George | Wood, E. (Chest'r, Stalyb'dge& Hyde) | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.— |
| Capt. Margesson and Mr. Penny. |
| Division No. 325.] | AYES. | [6.57 p.m. |
| Acland-Troyte, Lieut.-Colonel | Erskine, Lord (Somerset, Weston-s-M.) | Manningham-Buller, Sir Mervyn |
| Agg-Gardner, Rt. Hon. Sir James T. | Erskine, James Malcolm Monteith | Marriott, Sir J. A. R. |
| Albery, Irving James | Everard, W. Lindsay | Meller, R. J. |
| Alexander, E. E. (Leyton) | Fairfax, Captain J. G. | Merriman, F. B. |
| Allen, J.Sandeman (L'pool, W. Derby) | Falle, Sir Bertram G. | Milne, J. S. Wardlaw- |
| Applin, Colonel R. V. K. | Fanshawe, Captain G. D. | Mitchell, Sir W. Lane (Streatham) |
| Ashley, Lt.-Col. Rt. Hon. Wilfrid W. | Ford, Sir P. J. | Moore, Sir Newton J. |
| Astor, Maj. Hn. John J.(Kent,Dover) | Foster, Sir Henry S. | Morden, Colonel Walter Grant |
| Baldwin, Rt. Hon Stanley | Foxcroft, Captain C. T. | Moreing, Captain A. H. |
| Balfour, George (Hampstead) | Fremantle, Lieut.-Colonel Francis E. | Morrison, H. (Wilts, Salisbury) |
| Barclay-Harvey, C. M. | Galbraith, J. F. W. | Nelson, Sir Frank |
| Barnston, Major Sir Harry | Ganzoni, Sir John. | Newton, Sir. D. G. C. (Cambridge) |
| Bellairs, Commander Carlyon W. | Gates, Percy | Oakley, T. |
| Bennett, A. J. | Gibbs, Col. Rt. Hon. George Abraham | O'Connor, T. J. (Bedford, Luton) |
| Bentinck, Lord Henry Cavendish- | Gilmour, Lt.-Col. Rt. Hon. Sir John | Ormsby-Gore, Rt. Hon. William |
| Berry, Sir George | Goff, Sir Park | Percy, Lord Eustace (Hastings) |
| Bethel, A. | Gower, Sir Robert | Perkins, Colonel E. K. |
| Betterton, Henry B. | Grace, John | Pitcher G. |
| Birchall, Major J. Dearman | Graham, Fergus (Cumberland, N.) | Pilditch, Sir Philip |
| Bird. E. R. (Yorks, W. R., Skipton) | Grattan-Doyle, Sir N. | Price, Major C. W. M. |
| Bird, Sir R. B. (Wolverhampton, W.) | Greaves-Lord, Sir Walter | Ralne, Sir Walter |
| Blades, Sir George Rowland | Grenfell, Edward C. (City of London) | Ramsden, E. |
| Boothby, R. J. G. | Guinness, Rt. Hon. Walter E. | Rawson. Sir Cooper |
| Bourne, Captain Robert Croft | Gunston, Captain D. W. | Reid, D. D. (County Down) |
| Bowyer, Captain G. E. W. | Hacking, Captain Douglas H. | Rhys, Hon. C. A. U. |
| Briggs, J. Harold | Hammersley, S. S. | Richardson, Sir p. W. (Sur'y, Ch'ts'y) |
| Brocklebank, C. E. R. | Hannon, Patrick Joseph Henry | Roberts, E. H. G. (Flint) |
| Brown-Lindsay, Major H. | Harrison, G. J. C. | Ropner, Major L. |
| Brown,Brig.-Gen. H. C. (Berks, Newb'y) | Harvey, G. (Lambeth, Kennington) | Ruggles-Brise, Lieut.-Colonel E. A. |
| Buchan, John | Headlam, Lieut.-Colonel C. M. | Rye, F. G. |
| Buckingham, Sir H. | Henderson, Capt. R. R.(Oxf'd,Henley) | Salmon, Major I. |
| Bull, Rt. Hon. Sir William James | Henderson, Lt.-Col. Sir V. L. (Bootle) | Samuel, A. M. (Surrey, Farnham) |
| Bullock, Captain M. | Heneage, Lieut.-Col. Arthur P. | Sandeman, N. Stewart |
| Burney, Lieut.-Com. Charles D. | Henn, Sir Sydney H. | Sanderson, Sir Frank |
| Butt, Sir Alfred | Hennessy, Major Sir G. R. J. | Sandon, Lord |
| Cadogan, Major Hon. Edward | Hills, Major John Waller | Sassoon, Sir Philip Albert Gustave D. |
| Calne, Gordon Hall | Hilton, Cecil | Savery, S. S. |
| Campbell, E. T. | Hogg, Rt. Hon. Sir D. (St. Marylebone) | Sheffield, Sir Berkeley |
| Cassels, J. D. | Hope, Sir Harry (Forlar) | Shepperson, E. W. |
| Cayzer, Sir C. (Chester, City) | Hopkins, J. W. W. | Skelton, A. N. |
| Cayzer, MaJ. Sir Herbt.R.(Prtsmth.S.) | Howard-Bury, Colonel C. K. | Slaney, Major P. Kenyon |
| Cazalet, Captain Victor A. | Hudson, Capt. A. U. M. (Hackney, N.) | Smith-Carington, Neville W. |
| Cecil, Rt. Hon. Sir Evelyn (Aston) | Hume, Sir G. H. | Smithers. Waldron |
| Chadwick, Sir Robert Burton | Huntingfield, Lord | Somerville. A. A. (Windsor) |
| Chamberlain, Rt. Hn. Sir J. A.(Birm.,W.) | Hurd, Percy A. | Spender-Clay, Colonel H. |
| Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. N. (Ladywood) | Hurst, Gerald B. | Sprot, Sir Alexander |
| Chapman, Sir S. | Illffe, Sir Edward M | Stanley, Lieut.-Colonel Rt. Hon. G. F. |
| Charteris, Brigadier-General J. | Inskip, Sir Thomas Walker H. | Stanley, Lord (Fylde) |
| Churchill, Rt. Hon. Winston Spencer | Jackson, Sir H. (Wandsworth. Cen'l) | Stanley, Hon. O. F. G. (Westm'eland) |
| Clarry, Reginald George | James, Lieut.Colonel Hon. Cuthbert | Steel, Major Samuel Strang |
| Clayton, G. C. | Jones, G. W. H. (Stoke Newington) | Stott, Lieut.-Colonel W. H |
| Cobb, Sir Cyril | Kennedy, A. R. (Preston) | Streatfeild, Captain S. R. |
| Cochrane, Commander Hon. A. D. | Kidd, J. (Linlithgow) | Stuart, Crichton-, Lord C. |
| Conway, Sir W. Martin | King, Commodore Henry Douglas | Stuart, Hon. J. (Moray and Nairn) |
| Couper, J. B. | Kinloch-Cooke, Sir Clement | Styles, Captain H. Walter |
| Courtauld, Major J. S. | Knox, Sir Alfred | Sueter, Rear-Admiral Murray Fraser |
| Croft, Brigadier-General Sir H. | Lamb, J. Q. | Sugden, Sir Wilfrid |
| Crookshank, Col. C. de W. (Berwick) | Lister, Cunliffe, Rt. Hon. Sir Philip | Thorn, Lt.-Col. J. G. (Dumbarton) |
| Crookshank,Cpt.H.(Lindsey,Galnsbro) | Loder, J. de V. | Thompson, Luke (Sunderland) |
| Cunliffe, Sir Herbert | Long, Major Eric | Thomson, Rt. Hon. Sir W. Mitchell- |
| Curzon, Captain Viscount | Lucas-Tooth, Sir Hugh Vere | Tinne, J. A. |
| Dalkeith, Earl of | Luce, Maj.-Gen. Sir Richard Harman | Titchfield, Major the Marquess of |
| Davidson,J.(Hertf'd, Hemel Hempst'd) | MacAndrew, Major Charles Glen | Tryon, Rt. Hon. George Clement |
| Davies, Maj. Geo. F. (Somerset,Yeovil) | Macdonald, Capt. P. D. (I. of W.) | Vaughan-Morgan, Col. K. P. |
| Davies, Dr. Vernon | Macdonald, R. (Glasgow, Cathcart) | Ward, Lt.-Col. A.L.(Kingston-on-Hull) |
| Davison, Sir W. H. (Kensington, S.) | MacIntyre, Ian | Warner, Brigadier-General W. W. |
| Dawson, Sir Philip | McLean, Major A. | Warrender, Sir Victor |
| Dean, Arthur Wellesley | Macmillan, Captain H. | Waterhouse, Captain Charles |
| Drewe, C. | Macnaghten, Hon. Sir Malcolm | Watson, Sir F. (Pudsey and Otley) |
| Eden, Captain Anthony | MacRobert, Alexander M. | Watson, Rt. Hon. W. (Carlisle) |
| Edmondson, Major A. J. | Maitland, Sir Arthur D. Steel- | Watts, Dr. T. |
| Elliot, Major Walter E. | Makins, Brigadier-General E. | Wells, S. R. |
| NOES. | ||
| Adamson, Rt. Hon. W. (Fife, West) | Hall, G. H. (Merthyr Tydvll) | Scrymgeour, E. |
| Adamson, W. M. (Staff., Cannock) | Hamilton, Sir R. (Orkney & Shetland) | Short, Alfred (Wednesbury) |
| Alexander, A. v. (Sheffield, Hillsbro') | Hardle, George D. | Simon, Rt. Hon. Sir John |
| Attlee, Clement Richard | Hartshorn, Rt. Hon. Vernon | Sinclair, Major Sir A. (Caithness) |
| Baker, J. (Wolverhampton, Bilston) | Hayday, Arthur | Sitch, Charles H. |
| Baker, Walter | Hayes, John Henry | Smith, Ben (Bermondsey, Rotherhithe) |
| Barker, G. (Monmouth, Abertillery) | Henderson, Rt. Hon. A. (Burnley) | Smith, H. B. Lees- (Keighley) |
| Barnes, A. | Hirst, G. H. | Snell, Harry |
| Beckett, John (Gateshead) | Hirst, W. (Bradford, South) | Snowden Rt. Hon. Philip |
| Bondfield, Margaret | Hore-Belisha, Leslie | Stamford, T. W. |
| Bowerman, Rt. Hon. Charles W. | Hutchison, Sir Robert (Montrose) | Stephen, Campbell |
| Broad, F. A. | Jenkins, W. (Glamorgan, Neath) | Strauss, E. A. |
| Bromfield, William | John, William (Rhondda, West) | Sullivan, J. |
| Bromley, J. | Jones, Henry Haydn (Merioneth) | Sutton, J. E. |
| Brown, Ernest (Leith) | Jones, J. J. (West Ham, Silvertown) | Thomas, Rt. Hon. James H. (Derby) |
| Buchanan, G. | Kelly, W. T. | Thomson, Trevelyan (Middlesbro., W.) |
| Buxton, Rt. Hon. Noel | Kennedy, T. | Thorne, W. (West Ham, Plaistow) |
| Charleton, H. C. | Kenworthy, Lt.-Com. Hon. Joseph M. | Thurtle, Ernest |
| Clynes, Rt. Hon. John R. | Kirkwood, D. | Tinker, John Joseph |
| Connolly, M. | Lansbury, George | Trevelyan, Rt. Hon. C. P. |
| Cove, W. G. | Lawrence, Susan | Viant, S. P. |
| Davies, Ellis (Denbigh, Denbigh) | Lowth, T. | Wallhead Richard C. |
| Day, Colonel Harry | Lunn, William | Watson, W. M. (Dumfermline) |
| Dennison, R. | MacDonald, Rt. Hon.J. R.(Aberavon) | Watts-Morgan, Lt.-Col. D. (Rhondda) |
| Duncan, C. | Maclean, Neil (Glasgow, Govan) | Webb, Rt. Hon. Sidney |
| Dunnico, H. | MacNeill-Weir, L. | Wedgwood, Rt. Hon. Josiah |
| Forrest, W. | March, S. | Wellock, Wilfred |
| Gardner, J. P. | Maxton, James | Welsh, J. C. |
| Glbbins, Joseph | Morrison, R. C. (Tottenham, N.) | Westwood, J. |
| Gillett, George M. | Murnin, H. | Wheatley, Rt. Hon. J. |
| Gosling, Harry | Naylor, T. E. | Wilkinson, Ellen C. |
| Graham, D. M. (Lanark, Hamilton) | Oliver, George Harold | Williams, C. P. (Denbigh, Wrexham) |
| Graham, Rt. Hon. Wm. (Edin., Cent.) | Owen, Major G. | Williams, David (Swansea, East) |
| Greenall, T. | Parkinson, John Allen (Wigan) | Williams, T. (York, Don Valley) |
| Greenwood, A. (Nelson and Colne) | Pethick-Lawrence, F. W. | Wilson, R. J. (Jarrow) |
| Grenfell, D. R. (Glamorgan) | Potts, John S. | Wright, W. |
| Griffiths, T. (Monmouth, Pontypool) | Riley, Ben | Young, Robert (Lancaster, Newton) |
| Groves, T. | Ritson, J. | |
| Grundy, T. W. | Robinson, W. C. (Yorks, W.R., Elland) | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.— |
| Hall, F. (York, W.R., Normanton) | Salter, Dr. Alfred | Mr. T. Henderson and Mr. Whiteley. |
§ Mr. H. WILLIAMSI beg to move, in page 2, line 33, to leave out the word "twenty-nine" and to insert instead thereof the word "thirty."
The object of this Amendment and of the following one which stands in my name is to give a little more elasticity to the trade during the period of transition. The subject has already been dealt with by the President of the Board of Trade in his speech, and, therefore, I will do no more than formally move the Amendment.
§ Mr. BUCHANI beg to second the Amendment.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI accept this Amendment.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Further Amendment made: In page 2, line 37, leave out the word " twenty-nine " and insert instead thereof the word " thirty."—[Mr. H. Williams.]