Lords Sitting of 6 April 1900

APPEAL COMMITTEE.
First Report from; read, and agreed to.
The Lord Mendip (V. Clifden) sat first in Parliament after the death of his kinsman.

PRIVATE BILL BUSINESS.
The LORD CHANCELLORacquainted the House that the Clerk of the Parliaments had laid upon the Table the Certificates from the Examiners that the further Standing Orders applicable to the following Bills have been complied with—

Airdrie, Coatbridge, and District Water Trust.

Cheshire Lines Committee.

Great Eastern Railway.

Spalding Urban District Council (Water).

The same were ordered to lie upon the Table.

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD CORPORATION (WATER) BILL [H.L.]
Reported from the Select Committee with Amendments.
IPSWICH CORPORATION TRAMWAYS BILL [H.L.]
Reported with Amendments.
PONTEFRACT PARK BILL.
Reported without Amendment.
WALSALL CORPORATION BILL [H.L.] SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE TRAMWAYS BILL [H.L.]
Report from the Committee of Selection that the Five Lords appointed a Select Committee on the North Eastern Railway Bill [H.L.] and other Bills, do form the Select Committee for the consideration of the Walsall Corporation Bill [H.L.] and the South Staffordshire Tramways Bill [H.L.]; read, and agreed to; all petitions referred to the Committee, with leave to the petitioners praying to be heard by counsel against the Bills to be heard as desired, as also counsel for the Bills.
NORTH-EASTERN RAILWAY BILL [H.L.]
  NORTH-EASTERN RAILWAY (STEAM VESSELS) BILL [H.L.]
  The order made on Tuesday last appointing certain Lords the Select Committee to consider the Bills, discharged.
  HARTLEPOOL GAS AND WATER BILL.
  Read 2a, and committed.
  SOUTHPORT EXTENSION AND TRAMWAYS BILL.
  Read 2a, and committed: The Committee to be proposed by the Committee of Selection.
STOCKPORT CORPORATION TRAMWAYS BILL.
  CITY AND SOUTH LONDON RAILWAY BILL.
  Read 2a, and committed.
  GLASGOW DISTRICT TRAMWAYS BILL [H.L.]
  Read 2a (according to order).

  RHYMNEY IRON COMPANY BILL [H.L.]
  MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL BILL [H.L.].
  MOUNTAIN ASH WATER BILL [H.L.].
  BURNLEY CORPORATION BILL [H.L.].
  EDINBURGH CORPORATION BILL [H.L.].
  BIRMINGHAM (KING EDWARD THE SIXTH) SCHOOLS BILL [H.L.].
  BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY BILL [H.L.].
  KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES GAS BILL [H.L.].
  Read 3a, and passed, and sent to the Commons.

  GREAT YARMOUTH PORT AND HAVEN BILL.
  READING CORPORATION (TRAMWAYS) BILL.
  SOUTHPORT WATER BILL.
  Brought from the Commons; read 1a; and referred to the Examiners.

  RAILWAYS (IRELAND) AMALGAMATION BILLS.
  Message from the Commons that they concur in the Resolution of this House communicated to them on the 30th of March last, that it is desirable that the

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  Great Southern and Western and Waterford and Central Ireland Railway Companies Amalgamation Bill [H.L.], the Great Southern and Western and Waterford, Limerick, and Western Railway Companies Amalgamation Bill [H.L.], and the Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland Bill [H.L.], be referred to a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament as desired by this House.

DUBLIN CORPORATION BILL.
  CLONTARF URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL BILL.
  Message from the Commons that they have appointed a Committee, to consist of Four Members, to join with a Committee of this House, to consider the said Bills, and request this House to appoint an equal number of Lords to be joined with the Members of their House.
RETURNS, REPORTS, ETC.
  BOARD OF EDUCATION (ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS).
  Minute, dated 6th April, 1900, establishing higher elementary schools.
  SOUTH AFRICA.
  Proclamation issued by the High Commissioner for South Africa, on 19th March, 1900, relating to alienations of property by the Government of the South African Republic or of the Orange Free State made subsequently to the date of the Proclamation.

  EXPLOSIVES (EXPLOSION AT NEW HARBOUR WORKS, DOVER).
  Report to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by Captain M. B. Lloyd, Her Majesty's Inspector of Explosives, on the circumstances attending an explosion of gunpowder on the works of the New Admiralty Harbour at East Cliff, near Dover, on the 14th January, 1900.
  Presented (by Command), and ordered to lie on the Table.

  GOVERNMENT INSURANCES AND ANNUITIES.
  Account of all moneys received on account of contracts for the grant of deferred life annuities, and for payments on death, under the provisions of the
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  Acts 27th and 28th Victoria, chap. 43, 45th and 46th Victoria, chap. 51, and 50th and 51st Victoria, chap. 40, and of the disposal thereof, and of the contracts made, for the year ended 31st December, 1899. Laid before the House (pursuant to Act), and ordered to lie on the Table.

  MUNICIPAL TRADING.
  Message from the Commons that they hare appointed a Committee, to consist of five Members, to join with a Committee of this House, to consider and report as to the principles which should govern powers given by Bills and Provisional Orders to municipal and other local authorities for industrial enterprise within or without the area of their jurisdiction, and to request that this House appoint an equal number of Lords to be joined with the Members of their House.
ARMY (ANNUAL) BILL.

  SECOND READING.
  Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
  *THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (The Marquess of LANSDOWNE): My Lords, the fourth and fifth sections of this Bill introduce two Amendments of the Army (Annual) Act of 1881. Under the present regulations a soldier can only extend his engagement so as to complete the period of twelve years altogether. Now, your Lordships are aware that we have lately, as an emergency measure, enlisted a very considerable number of men in Reserve battalions upon a one year engagement. It is quite likely that some of these men may desire to extend their period of service. Under the law as it stands they can only extend it so as to complete the full period of twelve years; that is to say, a man having engaged for one year can only extend so as to complete the full period of twelve years. We think it likely that many of these men may desire to extend for a shorter term, and an Amendment is introduced authorising extensions of service for a shorter period than the full twelve years. The other Amendment is of a comparatively trivial character. There is a discrepancy between the 79th and the 161st Sections

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  of the Act. The 79th Section provides for the restoration by the Secretary of State of all or part of the service of a soldier which has been forfeited for desertion or fraudulent enlistment. Under the 161st Section the power of restoring service forfeited for fraudulent enlistment is apparently excluded. The object of the Amendment is to reconcile the two sections.
  Moved, That the Bill be now read a second time.—(The Marquess of Lansdowne.)
  On Question, agreed to; Bill read 2a accordingly; Committee negatived; Bill to be read 3a on Monday next.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES BILL [H.L.]

  THIRD READING.
  Order of the Day for the Third Reading read.
  LORD WINDSOR: I have just had a communication from the Charity Commissioners stating that they adhere to their objection to Sub-section 2 of Clause 5, and they desire that it should be omitted. As I have not been able to print any Amendment, I imagine that I must postpone the Third Reading of the Bill. The Amendment would also entail the omission from the schedule of Section 16 of the Public Libraries Act, 1892, which I wished to repeal, because Clause 5 of this Bill practically transferred the powers given to the Charity Commissioners under the Act of 1892. I must ask the House to allow me to postpone the Third Reading of the Bill till Monday next at 12.30.
  Third Reading (by leave of the House) put off to Monday next.

  CENSUS (IRELAND) BILL.
  Read 2a (according to order); Committee negatived; and Bill to be read 3a on Monday next.

  YESTERDAY'S ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE—PERSONAL EXPLANATION.
  On the motion that the House adjourn during pleasure—
  THE LORD CHANCELLOR (The Earl of HALSBURY): My Lords, I would like to refer to an absurd statement that appeared in the newspapers with regard
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  to the business last night. It is said that the Prime Minister and myself, being engaged in conversation, forgot there was any public business to be done. The entire statement is a fiction. There was no public business to be done, and the House adjourned in the ordinary way.
  House adjourned during pleasure.
  House resumed by the Earl of Morley.

  FINANCE BILL.
  Brought from the Commons; read 1a; to be read 2a on Monday next (the Marquess of Salisbury); and Standing Order No. XXXIX. to be considered in order to its being dispensed with.

  POLICE RESERVISTS (ALLOWANCES) BILL.
  Brought from the Commons; read 1a; and to be printed. (No. 50.)
  House adjourned at Eleven of the Clock, to Monday next half-past Twelve of the Clock.