§ [SECOND READING.]
§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ THE FIRST COMMISSIONER OF WORKS (EARL BEAUCHAMP)My Lords, this is a small Bill to which your Lordships in two successive years have been good enough to give a Second Reading. I shall not, therefore, venture to trouble your Lordships this evening by a further exposition of the Bill. It will be enough to say that this Bill is almost in the form in which it left your Lordships' House last year with some Amendments chiefly sug- 298 gested by the noble Earl, Lord Camperdown. There is a slight amendment to one of the Amendments which on that occasion were put into the Bill by agreement between both sides of the House, but as the matter is somewhat complicated it would probably be more to the convenience of your Lordships if we deferred any consideration of that very small and technical point until we deal with the Bill in Committee. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(Earl Beauchamp.)
THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNMy Lords, I do not rise to offer any opposition to the Second Reading of this Bill, and I thank the noble Earl for having sent me in a private letter the differences between this Bill and the Bill of last year. I am sorry to say that I have not had time to consider his letter fully, inasmuch as the Bill was only printed on Thursday last and I happened to be out of town on Friday. Therefore any remarks I may have to make I propose to defer until the Committee stage. I hope the noble Earl will grant us an interval of a few days. I do not know what the reason is for giving so short a notice of the Second Reading; I do not suppose it is anything occult, but it is certainly not convenient.
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.