§ Lords Amendment:
§
In page 1, line 6, leave out Subsection (1), and insert:
(1) No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale for human consumption under a description or designation including the
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word 'cream' any substance purporting to be cream or reconstituted cream as defined in this Act unless—
§ Sir K. WOODI beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."
It is true that my Department accepted the word "reconstituted," but we are always open to conviction and persuasion. During the past four and a half years we have certainly tried to be reasonable and to listen to and where possible give effect to the desires of the House. Therefore it ought to be a matter of compliment to us and not of complaint that where arguments have been advanced and we have thought that a particular suggestion was better than the one that we had been able to find ourselves, we accepted it. Probably the word "artificial" is the fairest description of this particular substance and gives a better warning to the public than the word "reconstituted." This Amendment is made in the interests of the consumer and in the interests of agriculture, particularly of the dairy industry. It was once said that agriculture is the spoilt child of the Tory party. We are endeavouring to assist agriculture in this respect.
§ Mr. A. V. ALEXANDERThe Parliamentary Secretary has said that on occasion the Government can be convinced, but during the past four and a half years we have observed very closely that they are only convinced when their friends put pressure upon them to do something for them. In this case we have found that they have been convinced by the representatives of the landlords and the dairy farmers. When we brought pressure upon the Government from this side to change their minds and to do something to make better conditions for the miners we did not find them so ready to change their minds. The proposed Amendment is fundamental. It brings into the scope of the Bill substances other than those that were intended by the promoters to be covered by the title "reconstituted." I have not before me the Amendment as finally made, but if I am right in assuming 2426 that the Amendment which was adopted in another place was the same as that which was moved on 7th May by Lord Clinton, then I submit that it does alter the whole scope of the Bill. The original Sub-section (1) read:
Reconstituted cream shall not be sold or offered or exposed for sale for human consumption under any description or designation including the word 'cream' unless that word is immediately preceded by the word 'reconstituted'.The Amendment which has been inserted in another place says:No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale for human consumption under a description or designation including the word 'cream' any substance purporting to be cream or reconstituted cream as defined in this Act.Undoubtedly, the whole scope of the Bill has been changed by the Amendments put in in another place both in the Title and in Clause 1. For that to be done this week and for the House to be asked by the Government to accept Amendments of such importance at the eleventh hour, without any reasonable consultation with the trade concerned, ought not to be tolerated.
§ Major PRICEI think the emphasis which the hon. Member for Hillsborough (Mr. Alexander) is putting upon this Amendment is quite unwarranted.
§ It being half-past Seven of the Clock, and there being Private Business set down by direction of the CHAIRMAN OF WAYS AND MEANS under Standing Order No. 8, further Proceeding was postponed without Question put.
§ PRIVATE BUSINESS.