§ The LORD CHANCELLOR acquainted the House, That the Clerk of the Parliaments had laid upon the Table the Certificate from the Examiners that the further Standing Orders applicable to the following Bill have been complied with:— Leeds Corporation (Consolidation).
§ Also the Certificate that no further Standing Orders are applicable to the following Bill:—Electric Lighting (London). The same were ordered to lie on the Table.
§ Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (Steam Vessels) Bill. Reported from the Select Committee, with Amendments.
§ London County Council (Tramways and Improvements) Bill. Reported from the Select Committee, with Amendments.
§ Felixstowe Gas Bill; Radcliffe Tramways and Improvement Bill. Read 3a, with the Amendments, and passed, and returned to the Commons.
§ London and India Docks Company Bill. Read 3a, with the Amendments; a further Amendment made; Bill passed, and returned to the Commons.
§ South Shields Gas Bill. Read 3a, with the Amendments; farther Amendments made; Bill passed, and returned to the Commons.
§ Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (No. 8) Bill; Local Government Pro 1430 visional Orders(No. 13)Bill. Committed The Commitees to be proposed by the Committee of Selection.
§ Glasgow Corporation (Police) Order Confirmation Bill. Read 3a (according to order); Amendments made; Bill passed, and returned to the Commons.
§ Local Government Provisional Orders (No. 13) Bill (Tynemouth Order and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Order opposed); Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (No. 8) Bill (Caerphilly Order opposed). Report from the Committee of Selection, That the following Lords be proposed to the House to form the Select Committee for the consideration of the said Bills; viz., E. Malmesbury, V. Colville of Culross, L. Kintore (E. Kintore) (chairman), L. Glenesk, L. Armstrong; agreed to; and the said Lords appointed accordingly. The Committee to meet on Tuesday next at Eleven o'clock; and 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.
§ Newburgh and North Fife Railway (Extension of Time) Order Confirmation Bill. Brought from the Commons; read 1a; to be printed; and (pursuant to the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act, 1899), deemed to have been read 2a (The Lord Kintore (E. Kintore)), and reported from the Committee. [No. 166.]
§ Local Government Provisional Orders (No. 9) Bill; Local Government Provisional Orders (No. 10) Bill; Local Government Provisional Orders (No. 11) Bill; Local Government Provisional Orders (No. 13) Bill; Pier and Harbour Provisional Orders (No. 2) Bill; Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (No. 8) Bill.
§ Moved, That the order made on the 14th day of March last, "That no Provisional Order Confirmation Bill brought from the House of Commons shall be read a second time after the 16th day of June next," be dispensed with, and that the above Bills be now read 2a. — (Lord Kenyon.)
1431§ THE ACTING CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (Lord BALFOUR OF BURLEIGH)My Lords, before the House agrees to this Motion, I think it right to say a word or two upon it. The Local Government Board, through their own officials, have given me very courteous, frank, and, I believe, full information as to the necessity for the suspension of the Sessional Order in these cases. I believe that no fault can be laid to the charge either of the Local Government Board or of the promoters of the Orders to be confirmed on account of the delay which has taken place. There was considerable opposition to some of them in another place, and the delay arose mainly on that ground. With regard to the first three—Bills Nos. 9, 10, and 11—I am given to understand that they are now wholly unopposed, and it is therefore quite in accordance with precedent that the Sessional Order should be suspended and the Bills carried to a successful conclusion. With regard to the other Bill—No. 13— I understand that there is still some opposition to be dealt with; and the same applies to the Electric Lighting Provisional Order (No. 8) Bill standing on the Paper to-day in the name of the noble Lord who represents the Board of Trade. Under ordinary circumstances I should have felt it my duty to suggest to your Lordships that it was too late to enter on opposed business of this kind; but I am sure your Lordships would not wish to interpose a merely technical objection to the carrying through of Bills of this character if it can possibly be avoided. Therefore I have to say that in the special circumstances, and as there will be a good many noble Lords in London next week, I have secured a Select Committee to sit and adjudicate upon these Bills, so that we shall be able to deal with the opposition to the Orders in a proper and constitutional way. I make this explanation because six weeks have elapsed since the expiry of time for reading Provisional Order Confirmation Bills a second time, and I think the House might legitimately have objected to going on to opposed business at this late period of the session. In the special circumstances of the case, and in the hope that this will not be considered a precedent for dealing with opposed business of this kind at a similar period 1432 of another session, I would suggest to your Lordships that you should agree to the Motion to suspend the Sessional Order in these cases.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ Bills read 2a accordingly, and committed.