CHRISTCHURCH CORPORATION BILL. (Hansard, 27 June 1940)

§ The Chairman of Ways and Means (Sir Dennis Herbert)

In moving that the House doth agree with the Lords Amendments to this Bill, there is one Amendment which requires a little explanation. Except for one of the Amendments, they are all of a drafting nature, and, as hon. Members will see from the Order Paper, I propose, if the House agrees with the Lords Amendment, to move a further Amendment. That is not without precedent, although it is unusual. The House may be interested to know that, in 1893, this House, on a Private Bill, disagreed with certain Lords Amendments, and some of those Amendments passed backwards and forwards, with protests, until, ultimately, the matter was settled. In this particular case, the Amendment in question is one which strikes out the word "registered" in reference to registered slaughter-houses. This Amendment, striking out the word "registered," appears to have been made in another place under a slight misapprehension. It was intended to refer only to slaughter-houses which, prior to the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, were registered slaughter-houses, but, as there were no registered slaughter-houses since the passing of that Act, the word "registered" was struck out. That would have an unfortunate effect, because it would mean that it would extend the power of the Corporation so as to enable them to close slaughter-houses, the owners and occupiers of which had never received notice of the proposal and who were not intended to be affected by it. The result is, therefore, that if the House passes the Lords Amendments, I shall have to ask the House to pass another Amendment, 566 to add, after the words "slaughter-house," the words: being a slaughter-house which immediately before the commencement of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, was a registered slaughter-house.