Lords Sitting of 24 March 1896

ENDOWED SCHOOLS ACT, 1869 (BETTON'S CHARITY), (SCHOOLS ACCOUNT.)
Her Majesty's Answer to the Address of the 25th of February last delivered by the Lord Steward (Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery), and read as follows:—
"I have received your Address praying that I will withhold my consent from so much of the scheme for the management of the funds contributed for the purposes of the Central Welsh Board by the county governing bodies established by the schemes made under the Welsh Intermediate Education Act, 1889, for the administrative counties of Cardigan, Carnarvon, Merioneth and Montgomery, and for the county boroughs of Cardiff and Newport, and by the county governing bodies established or to be established by schemes under the said Act for the administrative counties of Anglesey, Brecknock, Carmarthen, Denbigh, Flint, Glamorgan, Monmouth, Pembroke and Radnor, and for the county borough of Swansea, as refers to Betton's Charity (Schools Account):
"I will comply with your advice."

CONSOLIDATED FUND (No. 1) BILL.
Brought from the Commons.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROVISIONAL ORDER (WARRINGTON) BILL.
Brought from the Commons.
INFANT LIFE PROTECTION BILL [H.L.]
The evidence taken before the Select Committee from time to time to be printed for the use of the Members of this House; but no copies thereof to be delivered, except to Members of the Committee and to such other persons as the Committee shall think fit, until further order.—[No. 48].
SUMMARY JURISDICTION (WHIPPING) BILL [H.L.], NOW JUVENIFE OFFENDERS (WHIPPING) BILL [H.L.]
Reported from the Standing Committee without amendment; Bill to be printed as amended.—[No. 49.]
LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANIES (PAYMENT INTO COURT) BILL [H.L.]
Reported from the Standing Committee without amendment, and to be read 3a on Thursday next.
INCUMBENTS OF BENEFICES LOANS EXTENSION BILL [H.L.]
Reported from the Standing Committee without amendment, and to be read 3a on Thursday next.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
Standing Orders Nos. XXXIX. and XLV. considered (according to Order), and suspended for this day's sitting.

MARINE INSURANCE BILL [H.L.]
LORD HERSCHELL, in rising to move the second reading of the Marine Insurance Bill, said it was a Bill codifying the law of marine insurance. It was founded upon a Bill which he introduced in 1894. That Bill was very carefully considered by a Committee whom he requested to go into its details and suggest any alterations which might be made in its provisions, and he wished to take that opportunity of thanking those Gentlemen representing the interests of the underwriters, average adjusters, and shipowners, who formed that Committee and devoted a great deal of valuable time to the consideration of the Bill. The Bill aimed at representing as nearly as might be the existing law relating to marine insurance, leaving to a subsequent time such alterations, if any, in the substance of the law, as might be thought expedient. It was a little more than a mere statement of the existing law in this respect, that some points which would have been regarded as doubtful had been solved by the provisions of the Bill, but they had only been so solved where those who represented all conflicting interests were agreed as to the method of solution. He could not, of course, give any guarantee that the Bill as it stood was an absolute reproduction of the existing law, subject to the modification to which he had alluded, but he believed it to be so. It was drawn by Mr. Chalmers, the distinguished draftsman, who was the
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author of the code of bills of exchange and the code relating to the sale of goods. The success of those Measures afforded considerable warrant for their Lordships accepting this Bill, as also a satisfactory code on the subject with which it dealt. It would be proposed hereafter that this Bill should be referred to a sub-committee of the Standing Committee, who would carefully consider all its provisions and no doubt improve in some respects its form and substance, as was done in the case of the two previous Bills. He believed the Bill, if it became an Act, would be found to be of great utility. He had received from many members of the mercantile community expressions of the great use the previous codifications of the law had been, and an earnest hope that this code might also find its place on the Statute-book.
Read 2a (according to Order); and committed to a Committee of the whole House on Thursday next.

ARMY ANNUAL BILL.
*THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (The MARQUESS of LANSDOWNE), in rising to move the second reading of the Army Annual Bill, said this was the Annual Act for prolonging the operations of the Army Act. The only new matter in it was a trifling alteration of the law enabling the Commander-in-Chief in India to make the same delegation of power to general officers commanding the districts into which India was now divided as he made with regard to previously existing districts.
Read 2a (according to Order); Committee negatived; then (Standing Orders Nos. XXXIX. and XLV. having been suspended) Bill read 3a, and passed.

CONSOLIDATED FUND (No. 1) BILL.
Read 1a; and (Standing Orders Nos. XXXIX. and XLV. having been suspended) read 2a; Committee negatived; Bill read 3a, and passed.

MUNICIPAL FRANCHISE (IRELAND).
LORD HERSCHELLasked whether Her Majesty's Government intended to introduce a Bill to assimilate the municipal franchise in Ireland to that which existed in England?
*The EARL of RANFURLY: In reply to the noble Lord's question, I have to say that the present Government is by no means unfriendly to the general principle of such a Bill, but the Government cannot undertake to deal with the question in the present Session.
House adjourned at a Quarter before Six o'clock, to Thursday next.