SECOND READING. (Hansard, 1 March 1906)

§ THE EARL OF HALSBURY
My Lords, I am afraid the reading of this Bill a second time to-day, which I have the honour to move, is calculated to make some of your Lordships smile. This is, in more senses than one, the second time on which it has been read. The Bill is one of extreme importance, very seriously affecting an enormous business in this country; and certainly I may say, for my colleagues and myself, that it was considered with the greatest possible care. I had myself, section by section, interviews with persons interested in marine insurance, and if ever there was a Bill which was thoroughly considered by lawyers and by mercantile men interested in its subject matter, I think I may say this Bill was so considered.
It is not for me to say what happened to the Bill last year. I have some doubt whether it was ever mentioned at all in the other House; but, if it was, it certainly never received the consideration it deserves; and I am afraid the dropping of it, or the non-mentioning of it, is not calculated to induce people who have something else to do to go through ninety-six sections of an Act of Parliament of this sort for the express purpose 1252 of codifying the law and rendering it intelligible and easily accessible to merchants who are every hour of their lives considering this question. It is one of those Bills which I think I may say, without fear of contradiction, has no Party character whatever. It is simply a matter of business; and I think I may also say that no Party can have attributed to it responsibility for the negligence—I use no harsher word—which permitted this Bill, which is earnestly and anxiously looked for by the whole Mercantile Marine of this country, never to be considered at all in the other House.
I should have been content to leave it to the Lord Chancellor, but he was kind enough to point out to me that if I moved the Second Reading of the Bill he would give it every assistance in his power, reserving to himself, of course, the right of moving Amendments. Acting on that hint I am now moving the Second Reading of the measure. I am conscious that, without the assistance of His Majesty's Government, a Bill of ninety-six sections cannot possibly become law, for there are in the other House persons prepared, not only to move Amendments, of which no one could complain, but to prevent the measure being dealt with. That assistance the Lord Chancellor has intimated that he will, as far as possible, give, and I have much confidence in moving the Second Reading.

EARL RUSSELL
My Lords, there is a very small point in this Bill to which I drew the attention of the noble and learned Earl on the last occasion when he moved its Second Reading, namely, the definition of insurable value. In Clause 16 it is provided that the insurable value, in the case of a steamship, includes also the machinery, boilers, coals, and engine stores, and so on. I pointed out to the noble and learned Lord that since the Bill had been drafted there bad arisen a class of vessel driven by an internal combustion engine, which was in no way provided for in this section, and which, so far as I understand, would not be insurable. I would ask the noble and 1253 learned Lord whether he could see his way to insert an Amendment to meet this case. I should be prepared to put one down myself on Committee stage, although I would much prefer that it should appear in the name of the noble and learned Lord, in whose hands, I am sure, the drafting would be much more perfect. The point is an actual one which is not covered by this section, and I hope it will be considered later in the Committee stage.

§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR (Lord LOREBURN)
My Lords, this Bill is undoubtedly a very important one to the mercantile community, and it has been considered with great care. Some twelve years ago, when I was Attorney-General, I prepared many of the clauses in concert with a number of shipowners, principally from Liverpool, who were deeply interested. His Majesty's Government will most heartily do their best to further the Bill, and I certainly do not anticipate that there will be any objection to reading it a second time.