CLAUSE 1.—(Prohibition of certain public contests, performances, and exhibitions with animals.)

HC Deb 20 April 1934 vol 288 cc1307-8

The following Amendment stood up on the Order Paper in the name of Sir Robert Gower; In page 1, line 6, to leave out from "promote," to end of Clause, and to add or cause or permit to take place any public performance which includes any episode consisting of or involving—

1. (a) throwing or casting, with ropes or other appliances, any unbroken horse or untrained hull; or
2. (b) wrestling, fighting, or struggling with any untrained bull; or
3. (c) riding, or attempting to ride, any horse or bull which by the use of any appliance or treatment is, or has been, stimulated with a view to making it buck during the performance;

and no person shall in any public performance take part in any such episode as aforesaid.

(2) For the purposes of proceedings under paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) of the preceding sub-section, if an animal appears or is represented to spectators to be unbroken or untrained it shall lie on the defendant to prove that the animal is in fact broken or trained.

(3) In this section—

• the expressions 'horse,' and 'bull' have, respectively, the same meanings as in the Protection of Animals Act, 1911;
• the expression 'public performance does not include a performance presented to the public by means of the cinematograph.

(4) In the application of this section to Scotland—

• the expression 'horse' has the same meaning as in the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act, 1912; and
• the expression 'bull' means ox as defined in that Act."

The DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN

Before I call on the hon. Member for Gillingham (Sir R. Gower) to move this Amendment I should point out that his proper course would be to have Clause 1 negatived and to bring up this Amendment in the form of a New Clause. It is, strictly speaking, out of Order to leave only about two operative words of a Clause and to omit the rest in order to insert new words.

Sir ROBERT GOWER

I propose to follow the course suggested by you, Captain Bourne, and to ask the Committee to negative Clause 1.

Motion made, and Question "That the Clause stand part of the Bill" put, and negatived.