THR EARL OF AIRLIE, in moving that the House resolve itself into Committee on this Bill, which had received the unanimous sanction of the other House of Parliament, said that the condition of many of the cottages in Scotland evinced the necessity for a measure of this description. In numerous instances, from want of the necessary accommodation, labourers, married and single, were huddled together. The increased prosperity of the country and the reclamation of lands, which had taken place on a large scale of late years, added to the importance of legislating on this question. He hoped their Lordships would pass without delay a measure of so much value to the best interests of Scotland. Provisions had been introduced to guard against the creation of permanent charges on the estate, where the objects to be attained were not likely to prove permanently beneficial.
§ Moved, That this House do resolve itself into a Committee on the said Bill.
THE MARQUESS OF BATHsaid, he would not oppose the Motion for going into Committee on the Bill, but thought it would require some important Amendments, similar to those which had been made in the Erection of Labourers' Cottages in Ireland Bill, which provided for the payment of the charge on estates by instalments within 2127 the period of twenty-five years; whereas under the present Bill three-fourths of the amount borrowed was to be charged on the estate. The effect of making a permanent charge on estates for the purpose of erecting cottages would, he was afraid, be a very bad one, and they might hereafter find heirs succeeding to estates, the whole value of which had been swallowed up in mortgages imposed for the purpose of raising money to build cottages.
§ LORD REDESDALEsaid, that when the Bill went into Committee he should move the insertion of a clause providing for the repayment of the money advanced, such repayment to be made by instalments, and the whole amount of the money to be refunded within twenty-five years.
§ THE EARL OF GALLOWAYsupported the Bill. The cottages in Scotland were, he said, in many cases of a very inferior description, and there was often only one sleeping place for a single family. This was the source of very great demoralization; and he could not conceive any object of greater national importance than to give facilities to landlords to improve the cottages on their estates. He might add, that there was a great desire on the part of the country population for those improvements, and farmers were becoming very loath to take farms where the cottages for the labourers were inadequate.
THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCHalso hoped the Bill would be committed. If noble Lords imagined that the cottages in Scotland were of the same description with those in Wiltshire, they were very much mistaken. From the immense tracts of land that of late years had been taken into cultivation in Scotland there were large districts where there were very few cottages at all, and many of those that did exist were of a very dilapidated description. Having had some experience of this matter himself, he could assure their Lordships that the facilities provided by this Bill were much needed in Scotland, and he did not think it would tempt any one to speculate in cottage building.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ House in Committee.
§ Amendments made; the Report thereof to be received To-morrow.