Lords Sitting of 28 June 1880

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS—First Reading— Representation of the People (Scotland) Act (1868) Amendment*(103); Union Assessment Committee (Single Parishes)*(104); Educational Endowments (Scotland) (105); Elementary Education*(106).
Second Reading —Drainage and Improvement of Lands (Ireland) Provisional Order (No. 2)*(93); Local Government Provisional Orders (Abingdon, &c.)*(95); Gas and Water Orders Confirmation*(94); Metropolitan Commons Supplemental* (96).
Second Reading — Committee negatived — Third Reading —Consolidated Fund (No. 1)*, and passed.
Committee —Great Seal* (90); Universities of Oxford and Cambridge (Limited Tenures)*(91); Universities and College Estates Act Amendment* (92).
Committee — Report? — Local Government (Gas) Provisional Order*(87); Local Government (Highways) Provisional Order (Salop)* (88).

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION.

  QUEEN'S ANSWER TO ADDRESS REPORTED.
  The Queen's Answer to the Address of the 18th instant reported as follows:
  "I have received your Address praying that the Fourth Schedule may be omitted from the new Code of Regulations issued by the Committee of the Privy Council on Education and now lying on the Table of the House of Lords:
  "The matter on which you have expressed a wish shall be carefully considered, and if my Committee of Council on Education should be of opinion that in the due discharge of the duty entrusted to them by Parliament any alterations in those Regulations can be made by which they will be better adapted to meet the educational requirements of my people, such alterations will be duly laid before you."

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' ACT, 1875.

  MOTION FOR A RETURN.
  EARL NELSONsaid, that before he gave Notice of a Motion for Returns in reference to these Societies, he must state that no Registrar General's Return had been laid before the House since 1875, as required by the Act of that year, and he had been obliged to obtain the annual Report for 1878 from the other House of Parliament. Since his Notice, that state of things had been remedied, and the Return for 1878 had been presented to their Lordships' House, and he (Lord Nelson) hoped it would in future be always ordered to be printed. The making of annual Returns by Friendly Societies and their branches was of the greatest importance to the members. It was one of their greatest securities. It would appear from the Report that the annual Returns were not made with regularity; and in his Report for 1878, the Chief Registrar
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  stated that for that year those Returns had been slightly fewer than in the previous year, and yet only one prosecution for failure to make Returns appeared to have been instituted. He, therefore, moved for the Returns for the year 1878, which would be sufficient to draw notice to the subject. He wished to ask how soon they might expect an abstract of the quinquennial Returns of sickness and mortality for the period of from 1870 to 1875, with a table of sickness and mortality founded upon those Returns, and referred to in the Report of the Registrar General of Friendly Societies of 1878, and promised in that Report as very nearly ready; also what progress had been made with the tables promised from those Returns, such tables being much wanted, as we now had only two—one made for the years from 18-10 to 1845, and one based upon the Returns for the expenses of the Odd Fellows and Foresters; and, further, to ask whether any means had been taken to secure that the quinquennial valuations required to be made at the end of the present year should be made upon properly attested Schedules? If the Schedules were carelessly or fraudulently made, the valuations founded upon them tended only to mislead, as he had had practical experience. In conclusion, he would move for—
  "A Return for 1878 of the names of the registered Societies which had failed to make the annual Returns of balance sheets as required by the Act, with a statement of the penalties enforced for non-compliance with the requirements of the Act under this particular."
  THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEsaid, there was no objection to the production of the Returns, with a slight alteration, in the form proposed by his noble Friend, to which alteration he believed his noble Friend had no objection. He was, however, afraid it would be impossible to include the Returns for the year 1879 without causing considerable delay, as they were sent in only on the first day of the present month. The abstract quinquennial Returns of sickness and mortality for the period of 1870–75 were nearly completed. In them would be included Returns for the three previous quinquennial periods, which would make the Papers rather voluminous, as no less than 30,000 Returns had to be examined. A large staff was engaged on that work, which

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  would be completed as rapidly as possible. With regard to the valuations, every care had been taken that they were made upon properly attested Schedules. The Schedules were attested by the Secretaries of the Societies as to facts, and by the valuers as to valuation; and when they arrived at the Central Office they were carefully examined and signed by the Secretary.
  Motion amended, and agreed to.
  Return up to the present time of the names of the registered societies and registered branches of societies which have failed to make the annual returns as required by the Act, with a statement of the penalties enforced for noncompliance with the requirements of the Act under this particular.—[The Earl Nelson.)
  Ordered to be laid before the House.
  EDUCATIONAL ENDOWMENTS (SCOTLAND) BILL [H.L.] (NO. 105.) A Bill to reorganize the Educational Endowments of Scotland: And
  ELEMENTARY EDUCATION BILL [H.L.] (NO. 106.) A Bill to make further provision as to byelaws respecting the attendance of children at school under the Elementary Education Acts:
  Were presented by The LORD PRESIDENT; read 1ª.
  House adjourned at a quarter before Six o'clock, till To-morrow, half past Ten o'clock.