Lords Sitting of 20 March 1883

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS—Third Reading— Sale of Liquors on Sunday (Ireland) (17), and passed.
Royal Assent—Consolidated Fund (No. 1) [46 Vict. c. 2]; Consolidated Fund, &c. (Permanent Charges Redemption) Act (1873) Amendment [46 Vict. c. 1],

SALE OF LIQUORS ON SUNDAY (IRELAND) BILL.
(The Lord Carlingford.)
SALE OF LIQUORS ON SUNDAY (IRELAND) BILL.

  (NO. 17.) THIRD READING.
  Order of the Day for the Third Reading Read.
  Moved, "That the Bill be now read 3a."—(The Lord Carlingford.)
  LORD DENMANsaid, that he had taken great interest in this question. He found that no compensation was given to publicans under the Forbes-Mackenzie Act for Scotland; but, in England, a six days' licence had been granted—one tenant of his having got one. He had offered to another tenant an abatement of one-seventh of his rent, if he would
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  try the plan; but, if he should not lose by it, to continue his present rent. He had, at one time, two licensed houses in the village he inhabited, but had closed one and lowered the rent of the house. No doubt, licensed houses paid a higher rent than private houses, and he believed that Irish landlords, who had been so much blamed, would voluntarily give up a portion of rent if the tenant would lose by Sunday closing; and the Legislature might, as to six days' licences, do as much for Ireland as it had done for England.
  THE EARL OF MILLTOWNsaid, that, as a Representative Peer and a Resident Magistrate in Ireland, he desired to make a final protest against that sweeping measure passing their Lordships' House without any alteration whatever being made in the bonâ fide Traveller Clause. It would be extremely hard on respectable publicans in large towns, that their customers should be forced to migrate, once every seven days, to a distance of three miles or more outside the Metropolis, in order to obtain drink; and it would be equally hard on the inhabitants of the suburbs, to be inundated with persons of the class who would leave the towns for that purpose. He spoke, from practical experience, as a magistrate who had had to administer this law ever since it had passed; whereas the noble Lord (Lord Carlingford), who refused to accede to the Amendment he (the Earl of Milltown) moved in Committee, only spoke from hearsay or second-hand information. The matter was not quite so plain as the noble Lord made it out to be. How was it the Committee, which sat in that House on the subject of Intemperance in 1878, reported that the subject was not at all clear, and that disputes regarding it continually arose not only in Ireland, but in this country? He deeply regretted that Her Majesty's Government had not seen their way to accept his humble Amendment, or to have produced a better one of their own; and he could only hope that, during the voyage of this Bill through "another place," and in the full discussion which would there certainly ensue upon it, some means would be found of effectually settling this question.
  Motion agreed to; Bill read 3a accordingly, and passed, and sent to the Commons.

ENDOWED SCHOOLS (IRELAND).

  QUESTION.
  THE EARL OF BELMOREasked the Lord President of the Council, If Her Majesty's Government have decided to deal this Session with the question of endowed schools in Ireland, whether those under the Commissioners of Education or otherwise?
  LORD CARLINGFORD (LORD PRESIDENT of the COUNCIL), in reply, said, he wished that he could give a simple answer to his noble Friend by saying that the Irish Government had decided to deal with this question during the present Session; but he was unable to go so far as that. However, he was able to say that the matter was before the Irish Government, and was in their hands at this moment; and although the Chief Secretary for Ireland, having several other subjects of legislation to prepare for the consideration of Parliament during the present Session, was not now in a position to pledge himself to deal with the important question of endowed schools, yet he was very anxious to deal with it, and was not without hope of being able to do so before the close of the present Session.

THE MINISTRY—THE LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND.

  QUESTION.
  THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY: Seeing the noble Lord the President of the Council (Lord Carlingford) in his place in that capacity for the first time, I should like to ask the Government whether the Viceroy of Ireland still remains a Member of the Cabinet?
  EARL GRANVILLE: Yes; he does.
  House adjourned at half past Four o'clock, to Tuesday the 3rd of April next, a quarter past Four o'clock.