§ On the Order for the Second Reading of this Bill,
§ THE EARL OF CHESTERFIELDsaid, he hoped the noble Marquess opposite would allow the Bill to be read a second 50 time. The object of the Bill was to extend to provincial fire brigades the protection now enjoyed by the metropolitan brigade against false alarms. As the law at present stood, if a mischievous person outside the metropolitan area gave a false alarm, there was no means of punishing him. Under Section 16 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1893, any person giving a false alarm of fire was liable on summary jurisdiction to a penalty not exceeding £20. These false alarms were not infrequent, and he had only that morning received a letter from a Member of the other House of Parliament stating that in his own town in the course of two years the fire brigade had been three times called out on false alarms, and yet the persons who gave the false alarms could not be punished. He begged to move the Second Reading of the Bill, and gave notice that to-morrow he would move the suspension of the Standing Orders in order that the remaining stages of the Bill might be taken.
§ Bill read 2a.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER moved, "That the evening sitting to-morrow do commence at a Quarter past Four o'clock."
§ Motion agreed to.
§ House adjourned at Ten minutes before Five o'clock.