§ Commons Amendments to Lords Amendments and Commons Consequential Amendments and Commons Reason for disagreeing to certain other of the Lords Amendments considered (according to Order).
1802§ * LORD NORTONMy Lords, I beg to call your Lordships' attention to the fact that these Amendments are not yet printed. We know nothing of them. For my own part, I protest strongly against the Bill itself. I think it is a must mischievous measure, and I wish there were still time to move its rejection. It is a Bill to authorise all County Councils to desert their proper duties and form themselves into a Consultative Association to discuss and interfere in matters which, though locally interesting, belong to Parliament. That is a very mischievous thing, and though the noble and learned Lord has stated that Municipal Councils have something similar, yet I think it is carrying the Municipal precedent too far that County Councils should imitate Municipal Councils in that respect. I think your Lordships will hold that it is a mischievous thing to turn these County Councils into a sort of Local Parliaments, to debate instead of to administer definite functions. I do hope the noble and learned' Lord will postpone his Motion. For aught I know the Commons' Amendments may have altered the character of the Bill materially, and have made it more presentable, but, at all events, he will agree that we should know what they are before we pass a measure of this kind which we are now asked to pass. It degrades this House to pass things in the dark.
§ LORD HERSCHELLI think when I explain what these Amendments are for the noble Lord will see not only that they do no harm but that they are in the direction he desires. As the Bill left this House, it enabled subscriptions to be paid to any association for the purpose of consulting on matters of interest in common to County Councils. The President of the Local Government Board thought there might be, under that provision, power to the County Councils to subscribe to several such associations, not limiting it to one only. On his Motion in another place, the Bill has been altered in that respect, and it now recites that County Councils may only subscribe to one such association whereas previously, perhaps, it might have been thought that subscriptions might have been made to several. That 1803 is the only alteration that has been made in the Bill, and, as I have stated, it is strictly in the direction of limitation, not of extension.
§ Commons Amendments to Lords Amendments, and Commons Consequential Amendments, agreed to; and the Lords Amendments, to which the Commons have disagreed, not insisted on.
§ House adjourned at a quarter before Six o'clock, till to-morrow, half past Ten o'clock.