HL Deb 19 February 1913 vol 13 cc1483-4

I hereby give notice that I object to contribute to the Political Fund of the

Union, and am in consequence exempt, in manner provided by the Trade Union Act, 1913, from contributing to that fund.

A.B.
Address
day of 19

THE EARL OF DUNMORE

I have an Amendment to the Schedule which I have put forward in view of a letter I have received from a member of a trade union, in which he points out that if the address is given it might lead to difficulties in the case of those members who prefer not to contribute towards the political fund. I shall be glad to hear whether the noble and learned Viscount can give the Amendment his support.

Amendment moved— Page 6, line 23, leave out ("address").—(The Earl of Dunmore.)

THE LORD CHANCELLOR

I would ask the noble Earl to withdraw this Amendment. Unless the trade union officials knew the address as well as the name, they would not be able effectively to tell whether or not the exemption notice was genuine. A notice signed "John Smith" might come from any one of hundreds of members of a union like the Society of Railway Servants, and unless the address were also given the union officials could not possibly tell which John Smith had claimed to be exempted.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Then (Standing Order No. XXXIX having been suspended) Bill read 3a, with the Amendments, and passed, and returned to the Commons.