§ House in Committee (according to Order).
THE BISHOP OF WINCHESTERwho had given Notice of a series of Amendments, explained that his object was to render the provisions of the Bill less onerous on the poorer classes of the population without imparing its general efficiency. He believed the Bill as it stood provided for a needless multiplicity of informants in the cases of births and 1667 deaths. There was no principle better ascertained than that the division of responsibility weakened the feeling of individual obligation; and having regard to the trouble to which poor people would be put in complying with the provisions of the measure, he believed it would be wise to modify some of the clauses. The right rev. Prelate then moved the omission of words in the first clause, restricting the obligation of giving information of the birth of any child to the father or mother, or the person having charge of the child; and inserting in Clause 10 words limiting the number of persons bound to give information concerning a death.
THE EARL OF MORLEYsaid, the object of the Bill being to secure a complete registration of births, for which the law did not at present provide, and to bring into a consistent system the indirect and imperfect method in which deaths were at present registered, every person had been included who it was at all probable would be competent to give information. The right rev. Prelate should observe that the obligation was placed upon strangers only in default of the parents or near relatives. He could not approve of the Amendment.
§ THE DUKE OF RICHMONDsaid, he did not think the obligations imposed by the Bill were so onerous as the right rev. Prelate seemed to believe, and were not at all more so than was necessary to secure efficient registration.
§ Amendment negatived.
§ Amendments made; the Report thereof to be received on Friday the 16th instant; and Bill to be printed as amended.