§ Lords Amendment: In page 59, line 29, leave out the Clause 52.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."—[Sir H. Young.]
§ Sir S. CRIPPSWe protest most strongly against leaving out Clause 52. It was really the Clause intended by the Minister to make the Act operative, and to make it incumbent upon councils to prepare schemes. He has told us that there are certain default powers which will not enable him to get all the councils of every county borough and local district containing the necessary population to 1064 prepare schemes within the period which is necessary. As we view it, this is going to be one of the most essential parts of the whole Act. Therefore, we oppose the Amendment very strongly.
§ 12 m.
Sir H. YOUNGI can assure the hon. and learned Member that there is no such gravity as he fears. In the first place, this obligation to prepare plans was only imposed on a limited class of authorities; that is, urban authorities with a population of more than 20,000. In the second place it only referred to land for which a scheme could be made under the Act of 1925. Therefore, in view of the larger powers, it would have been almost obsolete. Four-fifths of the authorities to which this obligation would apply have already prepared schemes, so that only a bare one-fifth remain. Lastly, the power of the Minister to default authorities who do not do their duty under Clause 36 is a more powerful instrument than this Clause.
Marquess of HARTINGTONI tender my gratitude to my right hon. Friend for accepting the Amendment. One is by no means surprised that the hon. and learned Member opposite disagrees. On the last Amendment he expressed his strong sympathy with incompetence and inefficiency. He puts forward the view that bureaucratic power should be extended to the uttermost. The Bill loses nothing by the omission of this Clause. I should like to congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on having carried an extremely difficult Bill through what began as a hostile Committee. It was a task which was not easy and one which could have been carried through by very few so ably. In the end, after months of discussion he has got 100 per cent. of what he set out to get. A certain number of words have been omitted, but everything that he set out to get has been achieved. He has now a Bill which will be a definite addition to the Statute Book and it is a performance on which I congratulate him and on which the House will congratulate him.
§ Mr. LANSBURYThere was a little doubt in our minds until the speech of the Noble Lord has convinced us that we ought to go into the Division Lobby against the Amendment. We take a view contrary to that of the Noble Lord. This Amendment adds to the power of 1065 the landed interest to get their own way and to get a little more money out of the public when the public desires to bring about a. public improvement. Therefore we shall vote against the Amendment.
§ Mr. H0LDSWORTHThose who supported the Minister in Committee would like to know why if the Clause is not necessary now it was necessary in the first place. What is the reason for
§ taking it out? I am confirmed in my opinion that the Amendment is no good to the Bill, when the Noble Lord thanks the right hon. Gentleman for it.
§ Question put, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment,"
§ The House divided: Ayes, 169; Noes, 26.
1067| Division No. 303.] | AYES | [12.5 a.m. |
| Acland-Troyte, Lieut.-Colonel | Grimston, R. V. | Pike, Cecil F. |
| Adams, Samuel Vyvyan T. (Leeds, W.) | Gunston, Captain D. W. | Power, Sir John Cecil |
| Agnew, Lieut.-Com. P. G. | Guy, J. C. Morrison | Raikes, Henry V. A. M. |
| Albery, Irving James | Hales, Harold K. | Ramsay, Capt. A. H. M. (Midlothian) |
| Allen, Lt.-Col. J. Sandeman (B'k'nh'd.) | Hannon, Patrick Joseph Henry | Ramsay, T. B. W. (Western Isles) |
| Anstruther-Gray, W. J. | Hartington, Marquess of | Ramadan, E. |
| Apsley, Lord | Hellgers, Captain F. F. A. | Rankin, Robert |
| Aske, Sir Robert William | Hope, Capt. Hon. A. O. J. (Aston) | Rea, Walter Russell |
| Astor, Viscountess (Plymouth, Sutton) | Hope, Sydney (Chester, Stalybridge) | Reid, Capt. A. Cunningham- |
| Atholl, Duchess of | Horobin, Ian M. | Reid, William Allan (Derby) |
| Banks, Sir Reginald Mitchell | Howard, Tom Forrest | Renwick, Major Gustav A. |
| Bateman, A. L. | Hunter, Capt. M. J. (Brigg) | Reynolds, Col. Sir James Philip |
| Beaumont, M. W. (Bucks., Aylesbury) | Jackson, Sir Henry (Wandsworth, C.) | Rosbotham, S. T. |
| Beaumont, Hon. R.E.B. (Portsm'th,C.) | James, Wing-Com. A. W. H. | Ross Taylor, Waiter (Woodbridge) |
| Bernays, Robert | Ker, J. Campbell | Ruggles-Brise, Colonel E. A. |
| Bird, Ernest Roy (Yorks., Skipton) | Kerr, Lieut.-Col. Charles (Montrose) | Runge, Norah Cecil |
| Boulton, W. W. | Kerr, Hamilton W. | Russell,Hamer Field (Shefffeld,B'tside) |
| Bowyer, Capt. Sir George E. W. | Kirkpatrick, William M. | Rutherford, Sir John Hugo |
| Boyce, H. Leslie | Lamb, Sir Joseph Quinton | Salmon, Major Isidore |
| Braithwaite, J. G. (Hillsborough) | Leckie. J. A. | Sandeman, Sir A. N. Stewart |
| Broadbent, Colonel John | Leighton, Major B. E. P. | Sanderson, Sir Frank Barnard |
| Brown, Ernest (Leith) | Lennox-Boyd, A. T. | Scone, Lord |
| Brown,Brig.-Gen.H. C.(Berks.,Newb'y) | Liddall, Walter S. | Shakespeare, Geoffrey H. |
| Buchan-Hepburn, P. G. T. | Lindsay, Noel Ker | Shaw, Helen B. (Lanark, Bothwell) |
| Burgin, Dr. Edward Leslie | Little, Graham-, Sir Ernest | Skelton, Archibald Noel |
| Burnett, John George | Llewellin, Major John J. | Slater, John |
| Campbell, Edward Taswell (Bromley) | Mebane, William | Smith, Sir Jonah W. (Barrow-In-F.) |
| Caporn, Arthur Cecil | MacAndrew, Maj. C. G. (Partick) | Smith, Louis W. (Sheffield, Hallam) |
| Cazalet, Capt. V. A. (Chippenham) | MacAndrew, Capt. J. O. (Ayr) | Somervell, Donald Bradley |
| Chalmers, John Rutherford | McKeag, William | Somerville, Annesley A. (Windsor) |
| Chariton, Alan Ernest Leofric | McKie, John Hamilton | Sotheron-Estcourt, Captain T. E |
| Cochrane, Commander Hon. A. D. | McLean, Major Alan | Southby, Commander Archibald R. J. |
| Conant, R. J. E. | McLean, Dr. W. H. (Tradeston) | Spencer, Captain Richard A. |
| Copeland, Ida | Macmillan, Maurice Harold | Stanley, Hon. O. F. G. (Westmorland) |
| Courthope, Colonel Sir George L. | Makins, Brigadier-General Ernest | Stones, James |
| Craven-Ellis, William | Margesson, Capt. Henry David R. | Stourton, Hon. John J. |
| Crookshank, Capt. H. C. (Galnsb'ro) | Marsden, Commander Arthur | Sueter, Rear-Admiral Murray F. |
| Crossley, A. C. | Martin, Thomas B. | Tate, Mavis Constance |
| Cruddas, Lieut.-Colonel Bernard | Mayhew, Lieut.-Colonel John | Taylor,Vice-AdmiralE.A.(P'dd'gt'n,S.) |
| Davidson, Rt. Hon. J. C. C. | Merriman, Sir F. Boyd | Thomas, James P. L. (Hereford) |
| Davison, Sir William Henry | Mills, Major J. D, (New Forest) | Thompson, Luke |
| Dawson, Sir Philip | Milne, Sir John S. Wardlaw- | Thomson, Sir Frederick Charles |
| Dickie, John P. | Molson, A. Hugh Elsdale | Todd, Capt. A. J. K. (B'wick-on-T.) |
| Duncan, James A. L. (Kensington. N.) | Moore, Lt.-Col. Thomas C. R. (Ayr) | Train, John |
| Elliot, Major Rt. Hon. Walter E. | Morris, Owen Temple (Cardiff, E.) | Ward, Lt.-Col. Sir A. L. (Hull) |
| Elmley, Viscount | Morrison, William Shepherd | Ward, Irene Mary Bewick (Wallsend) |
| Emrys-Evans, P. V. | Muirhead, Major A. J. | Ward, Sarah Adelaide (Cannock) |
| Entwistle, Cyril Fullard | Munro, Patrick | Waterhouse, Captain Charles |
| Erskine, Lord (Weston-super-Mare) | Nall-Cain, Arthur Ronald N. | Windsor-Clive, Lieut.-Colonel George |
| Essenhigh, Reginald Clare | Nation, Brigadier-General J. J. H. | Womersley, Walter James |
| Fielden, Edward Brocklehurst | Nicholson, Godfrey (Morpeth) | Wood, Sir Murdoch McKenzie (Banff) |
| Fox, Sir Gifford | North, Captain Edward T. | Worthington, Dr. John V. |
| Fraser, Captain Ian | Nunn, William | Young, Rt. Hon. Sir Hilton (S'v'noaks) |
| Ganzonl, Sir John | O'Donovan, Dr. William James | |
| Gibson, Charles Granville | Palmer, Francis Noel | TELLERS FOR THE AYES— |
| Gluckstein, Louis Halle | Pearson, William G. | Captain Austin Hudson and |
| Greene, William P. C. | Penny, Sir George | Mr. Blindell. |
| Gretton, Colonel Rt. Hon. John | Pickford, Hon. Mary Ada | |
| NOES. | ||
| Adams, D. M. (Poplar, South) | Curry, A. C. | Greenwood, Rt. Hon. Arthur |
| Attlee, Clement Richard | Dagger, George | Grenfell, David Rees (Glamorgan) |
| Bevan, Aneurin (Ebbw Vale) | Davies, David L. (Pontypridd) | Harris, Sir Percy |
| Cocks, Frederick Seymour | Davies, Rhys John (Westhoughton) | Holdsworth, Herbert |
| Cripps, Sir Stafford | George, Megan A. Lloyd (Anglesea) | Lansbury, Rt. Hon. George |
| McEntee, Valentine L. | Price, Gabriel | Williams, Thomas (York, Don Valley) |
| Maclean, Nell (Glasgow, Govan) | Rathbone, Eleanor | |
| Mallalieu, Edward Lancelot | Tinker, John Joseph | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.— |
| Maxton, James | Williams, Edward John (Ogmore) | Mr. John and Mr. Gordon |
| Pickering, Ernest H. | Williams, Dr. John H. (Llanelly) | Macdonald. |
Question put, and agreed to.
§ Remaining Lords Amendments agreed to. [Several with Special Entries.]