SECOND READING. (Hansard, 9 March 1900)

*LORD WINDSOR
In asking your Lordships to read this Bill a second time 473 I need only make one or two explanatory observations. The Bill is introduced this year in exactly the same form as it left the House last session.^* The Bill was read a third time by your Lordships, but, owing to the late period at which it got through the Committee stage, I withdrew it, as it was absolutely impossible to get the Bill through the House of Commons. Certain alterations were made in the Bill at the instance of the Local Government Board, and I trust that, in re-introducing it again in the same form as it left the House last session, the opposition entertained by the Local Government Board will no longer exist. The object of the Bill is really not to widen the operation of the Public Libraries Acts, but to make the Acts of 1892 and 1893 more workable and more efficient. It is said that these Bills are only a method of raising the rates for the purpose of enabling idle people to read novels and light literature, but I venture to submit that an objection of that sort is not valid as against this Bill, and ought to have been made when the Public Libraries Acts were passed. As the law at present stands, there is no qualification or disqualification mentioned for a library commissioner, and Clause 2 of this Bill proposes to supply that deficiency by providing that the qualification of a library commissioner shall be the same as the qualification of a parish councillor. At present two urban authorities may agree together to build and keep up a public library, and two or more parish authorities may agree together to do the same thing; but there is no provision to enable a parish authority to agree with an urban authority to build and maintain a public library, Clause 4 will remedy this deficiency, and enable a parish authority and an urban authority to act together. This will tend rather to economy than to an increase in the rates. Clause 11 relieves the library authorities from the danger of an action in the event of a book being left on their shelves which contains libellous matter, provided that reasonable diligence is exercised. I trust that no objection will be raised by the Local Government Board to the Second Reading of this Bill, even if certain small ^*See The Parliamentary Debates, Fourth Series: First Reading, March 23, 1899, Vol. lxix., page 65; Second Reading, July 25, Vol. lxxv., page 192; Committee, July 31, page 872; Report, August 3, page 1,232. 474 alterations have to be made in Committee.

LORD HARRIS
The Local Government Board have no objection to the Bill being read a second time. The noble Lord in charge of the Bill made certain alterations in it last year which met the views of the Local Government Board. That authority, however, have objections to make to some of the details of the Bill, but these can be made in Committee.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR (The Earl of HALEBURY)
Clause 11 contains one of those problems to which I have a strong objection. It leaves to the discretion of the learned judge the question whether the action shall be allowed to proceed or not, but it does not indicate the principle that is to guide him. I do not oppose the Second Reading of the Bill, but I mention this matter so that the noble Lord can consider it between now and the Committee stage, as it appears to me to be the principal objection to the Bill.