HC Deb 11 June 1934 vol 290 cc1411-21

Section seven of the Finance Act, 1933 (which provides relief from duty on heavy (hydrocarbon oils used as fuel for vessels in home waters), shall be extended to apply to such oils used as fuel for the machinery of a vessel engaged on a voyage on any canal or inland waterway.—[Mr. Parkinson.]

Brought up, and read the First time.

6.22 p.m.

Mr. T. SMITH

I beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."

In the absence of the hon. Member for Wigan (Mr. Parkinson) I move the proposed new Clause relating to the duty on heavy hydrocarbon oil on vessels used on inland waterways. When the Financial Secretary to the Treasury moved the Clause last year which became Section 7 of the Finance Act, 1933, he made it perfectly clear that it would not apply to the inland waterways. He did not give any very elaborate reasons why the inland waterways should be excluded. He stated that seagoing vessels which travelled in, say, the Manchester Ship Canal, should receive the benefit of the concession, but those on the ordinary inland waterways would be excluded. I do not know why the benefit of that Clause was withheld from the canal user. Transport by canal is one of the oldest forms of transport in this country. Canal carriers have suffered a good deal of competition from road and rail transport, but there is still a large amount of traffic carried by canal boats. Royal Commissions, one after another, have pointed out that canal and inland waterways traffic represents a substantial part of the national wealth, and I contend that canal users have a right to the concession which was given to vessels sailing in home waters.

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury will know that the Canal Carriers' Association represented to the Chancellor in the early part of this year that consideration should be given to this question. I hope he will be able to tell us the nature of the reply of the Chancellor to the Association. Despite the opposition with which the canal carriers have been faced, they have done what they can to improve general conditions on the inland waterways. Many of them had gone in for heavy-oil burning engines on their boats, but I am told that they have had to limit their activities on account of this duty. Many of them had commitments which they had to cancel because of the insecure position as to the taxation of the fuels that are used. Canal carriers are not saying that this tax is crippling their work, but that they are entitled to ask for the extension to them of the concession. They are in the main small people, and not big combines. They have not big reserves of capital behind them, but are struggling manfully against severe competition. The concession, given last year to vessels sailing in home waters, was worth about £100,000 a year. We did not oppose that concession. We supported the Clause because we believed that it was necessary. If the concession for which I am asking were allowed it would mean only about £5,000 in the financial year. That is the figure supplied to me.

The gist of our argument in favour of this Clause is that the canal carriers are struggling against severe competition with a good deal of success, and they feel that if the concession were granted to them that it would be a means of stimulating them to greater activity. They feel that they are not being treated fairly. The Financial Secretary to the Treasury has not been too generous with his concessions during the Committee stage of the Bill. He has opposed all of them because of what they would cost. In this case it would cost a mere matter of £5,000, which would be a direct help to the canal carriers and would stimulate the demand for engines burning heavy oil. I hope that on those grounds the Financial Secretary will accept the proposed new Clause.

6.29 p.m.

Mr. HANNON

The canal people have a grievance in respect of the imposition of this duty. Nobody in this country or in this House has done more to help the modern development of the canal system than the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was Chairman of the Departmental Committee which inquired into the whole position of the modern canal system, and he made a series of very practical suggestions which helped the cause of transport on canals. He was Chairman of the National Council of Inland Waterways for a considerable time, and I succeeded him in that office. We carried on our work doing all that we could for the encouragement of canal transport. Agreements have been come to whereby a certain understanding has been established between the railway companies and canal users. So far as that agreement goes, it is entirely satisfactory, but it does not remove the burden which the canal people still have to bear in this duty on heavy hydrocarbon oils. The amount here involved is very small—only some £5,000 or £6,000—and it would be a gracious act on the part of the Financial Secretary if he could see his way to make this concession.

The canal system of this country has had to go through a very difficult and embarrassing time for generations, and at last it is coming into the region of profit-making as a transport organisation. The House of Commons has approved of very considerable guarantees for the improvement of the canal system of this country, but it cannot be made profitable unless some reasonable measure of consideration is given to the people who conduct transport on the canals. It is true that in one sense the canal is a competitor with road transport, and the roads, of course, are the main source of the revenue that is available for such concessions as this, but I do not think it would be a very reasonable argument to say that, because the canal is a competitor of the road, it ought not to have some concession of this kind. If the Financial Secretary, who is not, perhaps, in so generous a mood in relation to these new Clauses as some of us would like, would take this matter into consideration, he might, perhaps, even of he cannot make the concession now, be able a little later to see his way to do so. Those who are engaged in this industry are a splendid, hard-working body of people, and I am sure that my hon. Friend would like to see them secured in their employment by any concession which he could possibly afford to grant them.

6.33 p.m.

Mr. MACQUISTEN

One of the things from which we are suffering at present is congestion on the roads, which are not nearly big enough for the traffic that they have to carry, and our canals ought to help to relieve them of some of this heavy burden. It is the cheapest and heaviest kind of freight that is carried on the canals, and, as the Mover of the Clause said, they have great trouble to make a living. If they can do anything, as competitors of the roads, to lighten the burden on the roads, we ought to encourage them in every way to do so. The sum here involved is so small, and the benefit to a large number of hardworking people would be so great, in addition to the relief that would be afforded to our overburdened highways, that it would be in the public interest if the Government could see their way to grant this concession.

6.34 p.m.

Sir S. CRIPPS

I protest against the absence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer when these important discussions are taking place. Everybody knows that it is only a Cabinet Minister who can make concessions in a Finance Bill Debate. I see that the First Lord of the Admiralty has come in, perhaps for the purpose of making concessions now that we are dealing with canals. I think that, when such important followers of the Government as the hon. Member for Moseley (Mr. Hannon) and the hon. and learned Member for Argyllshire (Mr. Macquisten) axe pressing the Government to make these concessions, it really is not fair to the Committee that the Chancellor of the Exchequer should not be here. The Financial Secretary says that they have to take it in turn. I quite appreciate that, and nobody expects both the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the hon. Gentleman to be on the bench all the time, but, when Opposition Clauses are being moved, we do expect the Chancellor of the Exchequer to be on the bench for some of the time, and so far this afternoon while Opposition Clauses have been put before the Committee, he has not been in the Chamber. Very shortly we shall be coming to Clauses moved from the back benches on the Government side, and then, I suppose, the right hon. Gentleman will condescend to come in.

6.36 p.m.

Sir P. HARRIS

I do not want to differ from the hon. and learned Member for East Bristol (Sir S. Cripps) on a question of procedure, but perhaps he will allow me, as an older Member of the House than he is, to put him right on this point. There is an historic precedent for the Financial Secretary making concessions. It will be remembered that, on the question of lighters, the hon. Member for Farnham (Sir A. M. Samuel) took it upon himself, quite rightly, using his prerogative as the representative of the Treasury, to make a concession.

As has been pointed out, the amount here involved is a very small one, which is not going to upset the finances of the year, but it would be a help to an industry which has been going through very hard times, which has a very big struggle to exist, and which has felt very severely the competition of the roads. It would give that industry a chance to get on to sound lines. We have been asking for years for a revival of the use of canals, and the canals would be helped, more than by anything else, by the introduction of motor power in this particularly cheap and economical form. What is being asked for here is not new; it has already been conceded to boats using this fuel in home waters on our coasts. There are hundreds of barges plying round the coast, as well as fishing boats, that are given this concession, and it seems un- reasonable that, when boats go up our inland waterways and help to cheapen the carriage of commodities which depend on economical handling, they shall not be given the advantage of this concession. Everyone knows that on the Continent, on the Rhine, and in Holland, there is a tremendous development of inland waterways, which carry big barges that can give very low freights for heavy metals like steel and iron, and so assist many industries that are going through a very lean time.

I suggest that this concession would be a little stimulus to the canal industry, and it would be a gesture on the part of the Government which would be much appreciated. That is why we are so sorry that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is not here to deal with a problem which, when he was Lord Mayor of Birmingham, he made particularly his own. I do not suppose that any Member of the House has done more to further the interests of the canal industry than the Chancellor of the Exchequer has, and it would be a gesture which would be appreciated by these hard-working people if they could get this small help towards modernising the great canal industry of of this country.

6.40 p.m.

Mr. HORE-BELISHA

The hon. Member for Normanton (Mr. T. Smith) moved this Clause in a model manner. He was concise and persuasive, and I gathered that his real object was to elicit from me an explanation as to why it is that the heavy oil fuel used by coastal shipping is exempt from tax, whereas the oil used by motor barges on inland waterways and canals is not exempt. There is, of course, a plain distinction to be drawn between these two uses of oil. Coastwise shipping is subjected to foreign competition, and it was in order to rectify a patent injustice that a single exception was made to the solidarity of the Heavy Oils Duty last year.

Quite different considerations, of course prevail, inland. Not only is the inland transport not subjected to competition from abroad, but it is itself in competition with other kinds of transport by road and rail, and these two latter methods of transport enjoy no exemption from the Heavy Oils Duty, nor does this Clause ask that they should. Conse- quently, the acceptance of the Clause would do a patent injustice. Moreover, not only have the two kinds of transport that I have mentioned to pay the Heavy Oils Duty, but, as far as motor transport is concerned, it is paying tax at the rate of 8d. per gallon on its petrol in addition. Further, and I think that this should be conclusive, the licence fees have recently been increased. The hon. Gentleman seemed to desire to elicit some such explanation, and I cannot help feeling that the Committee will regard it as convincing. The Committee may have been, and probably were, moved by the sentimental appeal—and no one can make these appeals more effectively than he—of my hon. Friend the Member for Moseley (Mr. Hannon). We all know what a gallant fellow the bargee is, and what grand people those who conduct transport on the canals are, but that has nothing to do with the ease. The case is one of plain principle, and, much as we may admire those on whose behalf the plea is made, I trust that the Committee will support the Government in rejecting this Clause.

6.43 p.m.

Mr. T. WILLIAMS

The only conclusion that one can reach, after listening to the Financial Secretary, is that the Government have made up their minds that they are not anxious that any transport should be conducted on our waterways at all, but consider that such transport is an undesirable development. The hon. Gentleman tells us that coastwise' traffic is in competition with foreign shipping, that our canal transport is in competition with road transport and with railway transport, and that, if a very slight concession such as the one now suggested were applied to motor boats on canals, it would be conceding to them something that would enable them to compete unfairly with the roads or with the railways. Surely, that can only lead one to the conclusion that the Government have made up their minds that the canals are an undesirable means of transport.

Let me tell the hon. Gentleman however, that the canals play a very important part in the transport of coal in various parts of Yorkshire, and I think also in some other parts of the country. Indeed, the very important town of Goole depends almost wholly upon canal transport, and its population of 22,000 or 23,000 people may be affected unfavourably because the Government and the local authorities in divers ways have subsidised the making of roads. The railways, of course, are a totally different proposition from the natural waterways. If the advantage is to be against the canal all the time, clearly the canals will be given up, and a very useful means of transport will be denied to those who can make use of it. Quite recently, one of the collieries in my division has spent some £10,000 or £15,000 in making new locks and new sidings so as to render accessible the quickest transport, that is to say the canal, to the port of Goole. They conduct their operations very largely on the one horsepower system, with boats that carry, perhaps, 100, or 150, or 200 tons, but quite conceivably this small concession might be an inspiration to them to change their machinery and expedite their transport, which would be very useful in many ways.

I think that the hon. Gentleman has not given the subject the consideration to which it is really entitled. There have quite recently been discussions by the wise men of the country as to whether there ought to be a canal cut from Hull right through to Sheffield, but the hon. Gentleman does not want such a development. It would create a great deal of work and would provide an alternative means of transport which might be useful to the industrial population of Sheffield, but he says in effect, "No, we cannot do anything in the matter of canals, even to the extent of £5,000 per annum, because it would be unfair competition with the roads and the railways." I wish he would think again. I hope that, between now and Report he will invite the Chancellor to think again whether he could not grant this very small concession to assist one of our oldest means of transport, which may even yet prove to be one of the most useful in certain circumstances, and inspire them to change their machinery, using this sort of oil, which would expedite their transport system.

Question put, "That the Clause be read a Second time."

The Committee divided: Ayes, 61; Noes, 282.

Division No. 276.] AYES. [6.6 p.m.
Adams, D. M. (Poplar, South) Groves, Thomas E. Mason, David M. (Edinburgh, E.)
Attlee, Clement Richard Grundy, Thomas W. Maxton, James
Banfield, John William Gardner, Benjamin Walter Rathbone, Eleanor
Batey, Joseph Hall, George H. (Merthyr Tydvll) Rea, Walter Russell
Bevan, Aneurin (Ebbw Vale) Hamilton, Sir S. W. (Orkney & Z'tl'nd) Salter, Dr. Alfred
Brown, C. W. E. (Notts., Mansfield) Harris, Sir Percy Sinclair, Maj. Rt. Hn. Sir A. (C'thness)
Cape, Thomas Holdsworth, Herbert Thorne, William James
Cooks, Frederick Seymour Jones, Henry Haydn (Merioneth) Tinker, John Joseph
Cove, William G. Jones, Morgan (Caerphilly) West, F. R.
Cripps, Sir Stafford Kirkwood, David Williams, David (Swansea, East)
Daggar, George Lawson, John James Williams, Edward John (Ogmore)
Davies, Rhys John (Westhoughton) Leonard, William Williams, Dr. John H. (Llanelly)
Edwards, Charles Llewellyn-Jones, Frederick Williams, Thomas (York., Don Valley)
Evans, Capt. Ernest (Welsh Univ.) Logan, David Gilbert Wilmot, John
Evans, R. T. (Carmarthen) Lunn, William Wood, Sir Murdoch McKenzie (Banff)
Foot, Isaac (Cornwall, Bodmin) McEntee, Valentine L. Young, Ernest J. (Middlesbrough, E.)
George, Major G. Lloyd (Pembroke) McGovern, John
Greenwood, Rt. Hon. Arthur Maclean, Nell (Glasgow, Govan) TELLERS FOR THE AYES.—
Grenfell, David Rees (Glamorgan) Mainwaring, William Henry Mr. John and Mr. G. Macdonald.
Griffith, F. Kingsley (Middlesbro', W.) Mallaileu, Edward Lancelot
NOES.
Acland-Troyte, Lieut.-Colonel Applin, Lieut.-Col. Reginald V. K. Balfour, George (Hampstead)
Adams, Samuel Vyvyan T. (Leeds, W.) Apsley, Lord Balniel, Lord
Agnew, Lieut.-Com. P. G. Aske, Sir Robert William Barclay-Harvey, C. M.
Albery, Irving James Astbury, Lieut.-Com. Frederick Wolfe Barrie, Sir Charles Coupar
Alexander, Sir William Astor, Maj. Hn. John J. (Kent, Dover) Beaumont, M. W. (Bucks., Aylesbury)
Allen, Sir J. Sandeman (Liverp'l, W.) Atholl, Duchess of Beaumont, Hon. R. E. B, (Portsm'th, C.)
Allen, Lt.-Col. J. Sandeman (B'k'nh'd) Baillie, Sir Adrian W. M. Belt, Sir Alfred L.
Allen, William (Stoke-on-Trent) Baldwin, Rt. Hon. Stanley Bernays, Robert
Anstruther-Gray, W. J. Baldwin-Webb, Colonel J. Bilndell, James
Boothby, Robert John Graham Hacking, Rt. Hon. Douglas H. Ormsby-Gore, Rt. Hon. William G. A.
Borodale, Viscount Hales, Harold K. Patrick, Colin M.
Bossom, A. C. Hamilton, Sir George (Ilford) Peake, Captain Osbert
Boulton, W. W. Hanbury, Cecil Pearson, William G.
Bowater, Col. Sir T. Vansittart Hannon, Patrick Joseph Henry Penny, Sir George
Bower, Lieut.-Com. Robert Tatton Hartington, Marquess of Petherick, M.
Boyd-Carpenter, Sir Archibald Hartland, George A. Peto, Sir Basil E. (Devon, B'nstaple)
Bracken, Brendan Harvey, George (Lambeth, Kenningt'n) Peto, Geoffrey K.(Wverh'pt'n. Bllst'n)
Braithwaite, J. G. (Hillsborough) Haslam, Sir John (Bolton) Pike, Cecil F.
Brass, Captain Sir William Headlam, Lieut.-Col. Cuthbert M. Potter, John
Broadbent, Colonel John Heligers, Captain F. F. A. Pownall, Sir Assheton
Brocklebank, C. E. R. Henderson, Sir Vivian L. (Cheimsford) Pybus, Sir Percy John
Brown, Col. D. C. (N'th'l'd., Hexham) Heneage, Lieut.-Colonel Arthur P. Radford, E. A.
Brown, Brig.-Gen. H. C.(Berks., Newb'y) Hoare, Lt.-Col. Rt. Hon. Sir S. J. G. Raikes, Henry V. A. M.
Buchan, John Hore-Bellsha, Leslie Ramsay, Capt. A. H. M. (Midlothian)
Buchan-Hepburn, P. G. T. Horsbrugh, Florence Ramsay, T. B. W. (Western Isles)
Burnett, John George Howard, Tom Forrest Ramsbotham, Herwald
Butt, Sir Alfred Howitt, Dr. Alfred B. Rankin, Robert
Cadogan, Hon. Edward Hudson, Capt. A. U. M. (Hackney, N.) Rawson, Sir Cooper
Campbell, Sir Edward Taswell (Brmly) Hunter, Capt. M. J. (Brigg) Ray, Sir William
Campbell-Johnston, Malcolm Hurst, Sir Gerald B. Reed, Arthur C. (Exeter)
Carver, Major William H. Inskip, Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas W. H. Reid, David D. (County Down)
Cautley, Sir Henry S. Iveagh, Countess of Reid, James S. C. (Stirling)
Cayzer, Sir Charles (Chester, City) Jackson, Sir Henry (Wandsworth, C.) Reid, William Allan (Derby)
Cayzer, Maj. Sir H. R. (Prtsmth., S.) Joel, Dudley J. Barnato Remer, John R.
Gazalet, Thelma (Islington, E.) Ker, J. Campbell Rhys, Hon. Charles Arthur U.
Cazalet, Capt. V. A. (Chippenham) Kerr, Lieut.-Col. Charles (Montrose) Rickards, George William
Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. N. (Edgbaston) Kerr, Hamilton W. Roberts, Sir Samuel (Ecclesall)
Chapman, Sir Samuel (Edinburgh, S.) Keyes, Admiral Sir Roger Ropner, Colonel L.
Clarry, Reginald George Knox, Sir Alfred Rosbotham, Sir Thomas
Cobb, Sir Cyril Lamb, Sir Joseph Quinton Ross, Ronald D.
Cochrane, Commander Hon. A. D. Latham, Sir Herbert Paul Ross Taylor, Walter (Woodbridge)
Colfox, Major William Philip Law, Sir Alfred Ruggles-Brise, Colonel E. A.
Colvllie, Lieut.-Colonel J. Law, Richard K. (Hull, S. W.) Runclman, Rt. Hon. Walter
Cook, Thomas A. Lennox-Boyd, A. T. Runge, Norah Cecil
Cooke, Douglas Levy, Thomas Russell, Alexander West (Tynemouth)
Cooper, A. Duff Lewis, Oswald Russell, Hamer Field (Sheffield, B'tside)
Copeland, Ida Liddall, Walter S. Rutherford, John (Edmonton)
Courthope, Colonel Sir George L. Lindsay, Noel Ker Salt, Edward W.
Cranborne, Viscount Little, Graham-, Sir Ernest Samuel, Sir Arthur Michael (F'nham)
Croft, Brigadier-General Sir H. Llewellin, Major John J. Sandeman, Sir A. N. Stewart
Crooke, J. Smedley Lloyd, Geoffrey Sassoon, Rt. Hon. Sir Philip A. G. D.
Crookshank, Col. C. de Windt (Bootle) Locker-Lampson, Rt. Hn. G. (Wd. G'n) Savery, Samuel Servington
Croom-Johnson, R. P. Locker-Lampson, Com. O.(Handsw'th) Scone, Lord
Crossley, A. C. Lockwood, John C. (Hackney, C.) Selley, Harry R.
Davidson, Rt. Hon. J. C. C. Lockwood, Capt. J. H. (Shipley) Shakespeare, Geoffrey H.
Davison, Sir William Henry Loder, Captain J. de Vere Shaw, Helen B. (Lanark, Bothwell)
Denman, Hon. R. D. Loftus, Pierce C. Shaw, Captain William T. (Forfar)
Despencer-Robertson, Major J. A. F. Lovat-Fraser, James Alexander Simmonds, Oliver Edwin
Dickie, John P. Lumley, Captain Lawrence R. Simon, Rt. Hon. Sir John
Dixon, Rt. Hon. Herbert MacAndrew, Lieut.-Col. C. G.(Partick) Skelton, Archibald Noel
Dower, Captain A. V. G. MacAndrew, Capt. J. O. (Ayr) Smiles. Lieut.-Col. Sir Walter D.
Drewe, Cedric McCorquodale, M. S. Smith, Sir Robert (Ab'd'n & K'dine, C.)
Drummond-Wolff, H. M. C. MacDonald, Rt. Hon. J. R. (Seaham) Smithers, Sir Waldron
Duckworth, George A. V. MacDonald, Malcolm (Bassetlaw) Somerset, Thomas
Duggan, Hubert John Macdonald, Sir Murdoch (Inverness) Somervell, Sir Donald
Duncan, James A. L. (Kensington, N.) Macdonald, Capt. P. D. (I. of W.) Somerville, Annesley A. (Windsor)
Edmondson, Major Sir James McEwen, Captain J. H. F. Spencer, Captain Richard A.
Ellis, Sir R. Geoffrey McKeag, William Spender-Clay, Rt. Hon. Herbert H.
Elmley, Viscount McKie, John Hamilton Spens, William Patrick
Emmott, Charles E. G. C. Maclay, Hon. Joseph Paton Stanley, Rt. Hon. Lord (Fylde)
Emrys-Evans, P. V. McLean, Major Sir Alan Stanley. Hon. O. F. C. (Westmorland)
Entwistle, Cyril Fullard Macquisten, Frederick Alexander Stewart, J. H. (Fife, E.)
Everard, W. Lindsay Maitland, Adam Stones, James
Fox, Sir Gifford Makins, Brigadier-General Ernest Storey, Samuel
Fraser, Captain Sir Ian Manningham-Buller, Lt.-Col. Sir M. Stourton, Hon. John J.
Fremantle, Sir Francis Margesson, Capt. Rt. Hon. H. D. R. Strauss, Edward A.
Galbraith, James Francis Wallace Marsden, Commander Arthur Strickland, Captain W. F.
Ganzonl, Sir John Mason, Col. Glyn K. (Croydon, N.) Stuart, Lord C. Crichton.
Gillett, Sir George Masterman Mayhew. Lieut.-Colonel John Sueter, Rear-Admiral Sir Murray F.
Gilmour, Lt.-Col. Rt. Hon. Sir John Meller, Sir Richard James Sugden, Sir Wilfrid Hart
Glucksteln, Louis Halle Mills, Sir Frederick (Leyton, E.) Summersby, Charles H.
Glyn, Major Sir Ralph G. C. Mitchell, Harold P.(Br'tf'd & Chisw'k) Sutcliffe, Harold
Goff, Sir Park Mitchell, Sir W. Lane (Streatham) Tate, Mavis Constance
Goodman, Colonel Albert W. Monsell, Rt. Hon. Sir B. Eyres Taylor, Vice-Admiral E. A.(Pd'gtn, S.)
Gower, Sir Robert Moore, Lt.-Col. Thomas C. R. (Ayr) Thomas, Rt. Hon. J. H. (Derby)
Granville, Edgar Moreing, Adrian C. Thompson, Sir Luke
Grattan-Doyle, Sir Nicholas Morgan, Robert H. Thomson, Sir Frederick Charles
Graves, Marjorie Morris-Jones, Dr. J. H. (Denbigh) Titchfield, Major the Marquess of
Greene, William P. C. Morrison, G. A. (Scottish Univer'ties) Touche, Gordon Cosmo
Grimston, R. V. Morrison, William Shephard Train, John
Gritten, W. G. Howard Munro, Patrick Tree, Ronald
Guinness, Thomas L. E. B. Nall-Cain, Hon. Ronald Tryon, Rt. Hon. George Clement
Gunston, Captain D. W. Nation, Brigadier-General J. J. H. Tufnell, Lieut.-Commander R. L.
Guy, J. C. Morrison O'Neill, Rt. Hon. Sir Hugh Turton, Robert Hugh
Wallace, John (Dunfermline) Wells, Sydney Richard Womersley, Sir Walter.
Ward, Lt.-Col. Sir A. L. (Hull) Whiteside, Borras Noel H. Worthington, Dr. John V.
Ward, Irene Mary Bewick (Wallsend) Whyte, Jardine Bell Young, Rt. Hon. Sir Hilton (S'v'noaks)
Wardlaw-Milne, Sir John S. Willoughby de Eresby, Lord
Warrender, Sir Victor A. G. Wilson, Lt.-Col. Sir Arnold (Hertf'd) TELLERS FOR THE NOES.—
Watt, Captain George Steven H. Windsor-Cilve, Lieut.-Colonel George Captain Sir George Bowyer and
Wayland, Sir William A. Wise, Alfred R. Commander Southby.
Wedderburn, Henry James Scrymgeour. Withers, Sir John James
Division No. 277.] AYES. [6.47 p.m.
Adams, D. M. (Poplar, South) Grenfell, David Rees (Glamorgan) Mainwaring, William Henry
Attlee, Clement Richard Griffith, F. Kingsley (Middlesbro', W.) Mason, David M. (Edinburgh, E.)
Banfield, John William Groves, Thomas E. Maxton, James
Bevan, Aneurin (Ebbw Vale) Grundy, Thomas W. Nathan, Major H. L.
Brown, C. W. E. (Notts., Mansfield) Hall, George H. (Merthyr Tydvll) Rea, Walter Russell
Cape, Thomas Hamilton, Sir R. W.(Orkney & Zetl'nd) Roberts, Aled (Wrexham)
Cocks, Frederick Seymour Harris, Sir Percy Salter, Dr. Alfred
Cove, William G. Holdsworth, Herbert Sinclair, Maj. Rt. Hn. Sir A.(C'thness)
Cripps, Sir Stafford Janner, Barnett Smith, Tom (Normanton)
Curry, A. C. Jones, Henry Haydn (Merioneth) Thorne, William James
Daggar, George Jones, Morgan (Caerphilly) Tinker, John Joseph
Davies, David L. (Pontypridd) Kirkwood, David West, F. R.
Davies, Rhys John (Westhoughton) Lawson, John James Williams, David (Swansea, East)
Edwards, Charles Leonard, William Williams, Edward John (Ogmore)
Evans, David Owen (Cardigan) Llewellyn-Jones, Frederick Williams, Dr. John H. (Llanelly)
Evans, Capt. Ernest (Welsh Univ.) Logan, David Gilbert Williams, Thomas (York, Don Valley)
Evans, R. T. (Carmarthen) Lunn, William Wilmot, John
Foot, Isaac (Cornwall, Bodmin) McEntee, Valentine L. Wood, Sir Murdoch McKenzie (Banff)
Gardner, Benjamin Walter McGovern, John Young, Ernest J. (Middlesbrough, E.)
George, Major G. Lloyd (Pembroke) McKeag, William
Greenwood, Rt. Hon. Arthur Maclean, Nell (Glasgow, Govan) TELLERS FOR THE AYES.—
Mr. John and Mr. G. Macdonald.
NOES.
Acland-Troyte, Lieut.-Colonel Colville, Lieut.-Colonel J. Henderson, Sir Vivian L. (Cheimsford)
Adams, Samuel Vyvyan T. (Leeds, W.) Cook, Thomas A. Heneage, Lieut.-Colonel Arthur P.
Agnew, Lieut.-Com. P. G. Cooke, Douglas Hills, Major Rt. Hon. John Waller
Albery, Irving James Cooper, A. Duff Hore-Bellsha, Leslie
Alexander, Sir William Copeland, Ida Hornby, Frank
Allen, Lt.-Col. J. Sandeman (B'k'nh'd) Courthope, Colonel Sir George L. Horsbrugh, Florence
Allen, William (Stoke-on-Trent) Cranborne, Viscount Howitt, Dr. Alfred B.
Anstruther-Gray, W. J. Croft, Brigadier-General Sir H. Hudson, Capt. A. U. M.(Hackney, N.)
Applin, Lieut.-Col. Reginald V. K. Crooke, J. Smedley Hume, Sir George Hopwood
Apsley, Lord Crookshank, Col. C. de Windt (Bootle) Hunter, Dr. Joseph (Dumfries)
Aske, Sir Robert William Cross, R. H. Hunter, Capt. M. J. (Brigg)
Astbury, Lieut.-Com. Frederick Wolfe Crossley, A. C. Hurst, Sir Gerald B.
Baillie, Sir Adrian W. M. Davidson, Rt. Hon. J. C. C. Inskip, Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas W. H.
Baldwin, Rt. Hon. Stanley Davison, Sir William Henry Jackson, Sir Henry (Wandsworth, C.)
Baldwin-Webb, Colonel J. Dawson, Sir Philip Joel, Dudley J. Barnato
Balfour, George (Hampstead) Denman, Hon. R. D. Ker, J. Campbell
Balniel, Lord Despencer-Robertson, Major J. A. F. Kerr, Lieut.-Col. Charles (Montrose)
Barclay-Harvey, C. M. Dickie, John P. Kerr, Hamilton W.
Barrie, Sir Charles Coupar Dixon, Rt. Hon. Herbert Kimball, Lawrence
Beauchamp, Sir Brograve Campbell Dower, Captain A. V. G. Knight, Holford
Beaumont, M. W. (Sucks., Aylesbury) Drewe, Cedric Knox, Sir Alfred
Beaumont, Hon. R. E. B. (Portsm'th, C.) Drummond-Wolff, H. M. C. Lamb, Sir Joseph Quinton
Belt, Sir Alfred L. Duckworth, George A. V. Latham, Sir Herbert Paul
Bernays, Robert Duncan, James A. L. (Kensington, N.) Law, Sir Alfred
Bilndell, James Eales, John Frederick Law, Richard K. (Hull, S. W.)
Borodale, Viscount Edmondson, Major Sir James Lees-Jones, John
Bossom, A. C. Ellis, Sir R. Geoffrey Lennox-Boyd, A. T.
Boulton, W. W. Elmley, Viscount Levy, Thomas
Bowater, Col. Sir T. Vansittart Emmott, Charles E. G. C. Liddall, Walter S.
Bower, Lieut.-Com. Robert Tatton Emrys- Evans, P. V. Lindsay, Noel Ker
Boyd-Carpenter, Sir Archibald Entwistle, Cyril Fullard Little, Graham-, Sir Ernest
Bracken, Brendan Essenhigh, Reginald Clare Llewellin, Major John J.
Braithwaite, J. G. (Hillsborough) Fox, Sir Gifford Lloyd, Geoffrey
Brass, Captain Sir William Fraser, Captain Sir Ian Lockwood, Capt. J. H. (Shipley)
Broadbent, Colonel John Fremantle, Sir Francis Loder, Captain J, de Vere
Brocklebank, C. E. R. Galbraith, James Francis Wallace Loftus, Pierce C.
Brown, Col. D. C. (N'th'l'd., Hexham) Ganzonl, Sir John Lovat-Fraser, James Alexander
Brown, Brig.-Gen. H. C. (Berks., Newb'y) Gillett, Sir George Masterman Lumley, Captain Lawrence R.
Buchan-Hepburn, P. G. T. Gilmour, Lt.-Col. Rt Hon. Sir John Mabane, William
Burghley, Lord Gluckstein, Louis Halle MacAndrew, Capt. J. O. (Ayr)
Burnett, John George Glyn, Major Sir Ralph G. C. McCorquodale, M. S.
Butt, Sir Alfred Goodman, Colonel Albert W. MacDonald, Rt. Hon. J. R. (Seaham)
Cadogan, Hon. Edward Gower, Sir Robert MacDonald, Malcolm (Bassetlaw)
Campbell, Sir Edward Taswell (Brmly) Greene, William P. C. Macdonald, Sir Murdoch (Inverness)
Campbell-Johnston, Malcolm Grimston, R. V. Macdonald, Capt. P. D. (I. of W.)
Carver, Major William H. Gritten, W. G. Howard McEwen. Captain J. H. F.
Cautley, Sir Henry S. Guinness, Thomas L. E. B. McKie, John Hamilton
Cayzer, Sir Charles (Chester, City) Gunston, Captain D. W. Maclay, Hon. Joseph Paton
Cayzer, Maj. Sir H. R. (Prtsmth., S.) Guy, J. C. Morrison McLean, Major Sir Alan
Cazalet, Thelma (Islington, E.) Hacking, Rt. Hon. Douglas H. Maitland, Adam
Cazalet, Capt. V. A. (Chippenham) Hales, Harold K. Makins, Brigadier-General Ernest
Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. N. (Edgbaston) Hamilton, Sir George (Ilford) Manningham-Buller, Lt.-Col. Sir M.
Chapman, Col. R.(Houghton-le-Spring) Hanbury, Cecil Margesson, Capt. Rt. Hon. H. D. R.
Churchill, Rt. Hon. Winston Spencer Hartington, Marquess of Marsden, Commander Arthur
Clarry, Reginald George Hartland, George A. Martin, Thomas B.
Cobb, Sir Cyril Haslam, Sir John (Bolton) Mason, Col. Glyn K. (Croydon, N.)
Cochrane, Commander Hon. A. D. Headlam, Lieut.-Col. Cuthbert M. Mayhew, Lieut.-Colonel John
Colfox, Major William Philip Hellgers, Captain F. F. A. Meller, Sir Richard James
Mitchell, Harold P. (Br'tf'd & Chisw'k) Rickards, George William Strickland, Captain W. F.
Mitchell, Sir W. Lane (Streatham) Roberts, Sir Samuel (Ecclesall) Stuart, Lord C. Crichton.
Monsell, Rt. Hon. Sir B. Eyres Ropner, Colonel L. Sueter, Rear-Admiral Sir Murray F.
Moreing, Adrian C. Rosbotham, Sir Thomas Sugden, Sir Wilfrid Hart
Morgan, Robert H. Ross Taylor, Walter (Woodbridge) Summersby, Charles H.
Morris, Owen Temple (Cardiff, E.) Ruggles-Brise, Colonel E. A. Sutcliffe, Harold
Morris-Jones, Dr. J. H. (Denbigh) Runclman, Rt. Hon. Walter Tate, Mavis Constance
Morrison, G. A. (Scottish Univer'ties) Runge, Norah Cecil Taylor, Vice-Admiral E. A. (P'dd'gt'n. S.)
Morrison, William Shepherd Russell, Albert (Kirkcaldy) Thomas, Rt. Hon. J. H. (Derby)
Munro, Patrick Russell, Hamer Field (Sheffield, B'tslde) Thompson, Sir Luke
Nall-Cain, Hon. Ronald Rutherford, John (Edmonton) Thomson, Sir Frederick Charles
Nation, Brigadier-General J. J. H. Salt, Edward W. Titchfield, Major the Marquess of
O'Neill. Rt. Hon. Sir Hugh Samuel, Sir Arthur Michael (F'nham) Todd, Capt. A. J. K. (B'wick-on-T.)
Ormsby-Gore, Rt. Hon. William G. A. Sandeman, Sir A. N. Stewart Touche, Gordon Cosmo
Patrick, Colin M. Savery, Samuel Servington Train, John
Peake, Captain Osbert Selley, Harry R. Tree, Ronald
Pearson, William G. Shaw, Helen B. (Lanark, Bothwell) Tufnell, Lieut.-Commander R. L.
Penny, Sir George Shaw, Captain William T. (Forfar) Turton, Robert Hugh
Petherick, M. Simmonds, Oliver Edwin Wallace, John (Dunfermline)
Peto, Sir Basil E. (Devon, Barnstaple) Simon, Rt. Hon. Sir John Ward, Lt.-Col. Sir A. L. (Hull)
Peto, Geoffrey K.(W'verh'pt'n, Bllst'n) Skelton, Archibald Noel Ward, Irene Mary Bewick (Wallsend)
Pike, Cecil F. Smiles, Lieut.-Col. Sir Walter D. Wardlaw-Milne, Sir John S.
Potter, John Smith, Sir Robert (Ab'd'n & K'dine, C.) Warrender, Sir Victor A. G.
Pownall, Sir Assheton Smithers, Sir Waldron Wayland, Sir William A.
Pybus, Sir Percy John Somerset, Thomas Wedderburn, Henry James Scrymgeour.
Radford, E. A. Somervell, Sir Donald Wells, Sidney Richard
Raikes, Henry V. A. M. Somerville, Annesley A. (Windsor) Whiteside, Borras Noel H.
Ramsay, Capt. A. H. M. (Midlothian) Southby, Commander Archibald R. J. Whyte, Jardine Bell
Ramsbotham, Herwald Spencer, Captain Richard A. Willoughby de Eresby, Lord
Rankin, Robert Spender-Clay, Rt. Hon. Herbert H Windsor-Cilve, Lieut.-Colonel George
Rawson, Sir Cooper Spens, William Patrick Wise, Alfred R.
Ray, Sir William Stanley, Rt. Hon. Lord (Fylde) Withers, Sir John James
Reed, Arthur C. (Exeter) Stanley, Hon. O. F. G. (Westmorland) Worthington, Dr. John V.
Reid, David D. (County Down) Stones, James Young, Rt. Hon. Sir Hilton (S'v'noaks)
Reid, James S. C. (Stirling) Storey, Samuel
Reid, William Allan (Derby) Stourton, Hon. John J. TELLERS FOR THE NOES.—
Remer, John R. Strauss, Edward A. Sir Walter Womersley and Captain
Sir George Bowyer.