Lords Sitting of 29 June 1915

Preamble
The LORD CHANCELLOR acquainted the House, That the Clerk of the Parliaments had laid upon the Table the Certificate from the Examiners that the Standing Orders applicable to the following Bill have been complied with:
Local Government Provisional Orders (No. 6).
The same was ordered to lie on the Table.

EDUCATION BOARD PROVISIONAL ORDERS CONFIRMATION (LONDON) BILL. [H.L.]
Reported, with Amendments, and re-committed to a Committee of the Whole House To-morrow.
LURGAN URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL BILL.
Read 3a, with the Amendments, and passed, and returned to the Commons.
ELECTRIC LIGHTING PROVISIONAL ORDERS (No. 3) BILL. (No. 107.)
  LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROVISIONAL ORDERS (No. 9) BILL. (No. 108.)
    PIER AND HARBOUR PROVISIONAL ORDERS (No. 2) BILL. (No. 109.)
    Brought from the Commons; read 1a; to be printed; and referred to the Examiners.
LINCOLN CORPORATION BILL.
  LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL (GENERAL POWERS) BILL.
  Brought from the Commons; read 1a; and referred to the Examiners.
ALTRINCHAM GAS BILL. [H.L.]
  WARWICK GAS BILL. [H.L.]
  Returned from the Commons, agreed to, with Amendments: The said Amendments considered, and agreed to.
SUNDERLAND CORPORATION (WEAR-MOUTH BRIDGE) BILL. [H.L.]
Returned from the Commons, agreed to, with Amendments.
AMMANFORD URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL BILL.
  FRIENDS' PROVIDENT INSTITUTION BILL.
    METHODIST CHURCH IN IRELAND BILL.
    Returned from the Commons, with the Amendments, agreed to.
IRVINE AND DISTRICT WATER BOARD ORDER CONFIRMATION BILL. [H.L.] (No. 110.)
A Bill to confirm a Provisional Order relative to Irvine and District Board: And

DUNFERMLINE AND DISTRICT TRAMWAYS (EXTENSIONS) ORDER CONFIRMATION BILL. [H.L.] (No. 111.)
A Bill to confirm a Provisional Order relating to Dunfermline and District Tramways (Extensions).
—Were presented by the Lord Stanmore (pursuant to the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act, 1899, sections 8 and 9); read 1a, and to be printed.

RETURNS, REPORTS, &c.
Miscellaneous, No. 14 (1915)—Correspondence with the United States Ambassador respecting the treatment of British prisoners of war and interned civilians in Germany (in continuation of "Miscellaneous, No. 11 (1915),"[Cd. 7861]):
National Education (Ireland)—Appendix, Section to the Annual Report of the Commissioners for the year 1913–1914:
Coal Shipments—Tables giving details as to shipments of coal abroad, coastwise, and as bunkers from each port of the United Kingdom for each quarter of the years 1913 and 1914 (in continuation of Parliamentary Paper [Cd. 7490] of Session 1914):
Mental Deficiency and Lunacy (Scotland) Act, 1913—First Annual Report of the General Board of Control for Scotland:
Agricultural Statistics (Ireland)—Return of prices of crops, live stock and other agricultural products:
Licensing Statistics, 1914—Statistics as to the operation and administration of the laws relating to the sale of intoxicating liquor in. England and Wales, for the year 1914:
Presented (by command) and ordered to lie on the Table.
Harwich Harbour—Abstract of the Accounts of Receipt and Expenditure of the Harwich Harbour Conservancy Board from the time of their incorporation down to, and inclusive of, 31st March 1915:
Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks (Temporary Rules) Acts, 1914—Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks (Temporary) Rules, 1915:
Public Accounts and Charges Act, 1891—Treasury Minute, dated 24th June 1915, directing that receipts in connection with any service under the Housing Act, 1914, shall be applied as an appropriation in aid of the Vote to which the expenses of that service (other than capital) are charged:
Shops Act, 1912—Orders made by the following Councils and confirmed by the Secretary of State for the home Department, affecting certain classes of shops within their respective areas—

1. West Riding of Yorkshire County Council (a specified area within Bingley Urban District.);

2. Widnes Borough Council (Borough of Widnes). (Two Orders):

National Insurance Acts—Provisional Regulations entitled—

1. The National Health Insurance (Combination of Insurance Committees) Regulations, 1915, dated 22nd June 1915:

2. The National Health Insurance (Durham and Darlington Insurance Committees) Regulations, 1915,dated 22nd June 1915:

Weights and Measures Acts, 1878—Order in Council, dated the 25th June 1915, approving a new standard measure of length of 1¼ metres:
Laid before the House (pursuant to Act.) and ordered to lie on the Table.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA BILL. [H.L.]
House to be in Committee on Wednesday the 7th of July next.
TRAMWAYS PROVISIONAL ORDERS BILL.
  LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROVISIONAL ORDERS (No. 2) BILL.
  Read 3a (according to Order), with the Amendments, and passed, and returned to the Commons.
LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL (TRAMWAYS AND IMPROVEMENTS) BILL.

  WEARDALE AND CONSETT WATER BILL.
  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.),

  M. Bristol (Chairman),

  E. Craven,

  V. Falkland,

  L. Annaly,

  L. Aberdare;

  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.

MILK AND DAIRIES ACTS POSTPONEMENT BILL.
[SECOND READING.]
Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
LORD HYLTON: My Lords, the object of this Bill is to enable the Local Government Board to suspend, for a period not longer than twelve months after the termination of the war, the operation of the Milk and Dairies Act of last year both as regards this country and as regards Scotland. In order to explain to your Lordships the reasons which have prompted the Government to bring in this Bill, I must say a few words with reference to the Act of 1914. My noble friend Lord Strachie, in the lucid speech in which he moved the Second Reading of that measure, explained to the House that it had a twofold object—in the first place, to enable the milk supply of the country to be produced under as pure and wholesome conditions as possible; and, in the second place, to provide for the retail of milk in towns and elsewhere in an equally pure and wholesome condition.
The Act of 1914 was a far-reaching measure, and dealt with a great variety of subjects. It rather resembled the trunk of an elephant, for there was nothing too great and nothing too small in connection with these matters that it was not prepared to pick up and handle. Perhaps the most important provision it contained was that which extended the powers of the Local Government Board of concurrence with

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the Board of Agriculture for the registration and inspection of all dairies; and the widest interpretation was given to the word "dairy", which under the Act of 1914 includes any farm, cowshed, milk store, milk shop, or other place in which milk is produced or sold. Then there were powers under the Act of 1914 for the Local Government Board to make Orders to regulate the temperature to which milk was to be cooled down, to prevent tampering with churns, and to prescribe conditions as to the sale of "certified milk"; and the Act also provided for the setting up and maintenance of municipal milk depôts.
The effect of these enactments was likely to be that when the Act came into full operation the owners and occupiers of farm houses might be put to considerable—I do not for a moment say not legitimate—expense in altering and reconstructing their premises, and so on. There was not a great amount of discussion when the Bill was passing through your Lordships' House last year; it was brought in at rather an advanced period of the session. But in the House of Commons there was considerable discussion on the measure. The view that I have alluded to, that great expense might be entailed under its provisions, was certainly put forward in the House of Commons by critics, not necessarily unfriendly critics, of the Bill. One hon. Member, in. the debate on July 20 last year, said the Bill was going to make the production and sale of milk more expensive, and another speaker also said that no doubt its effect would be to increase the cost of milk; and I am not aware that those who were responsible for the Act of 1914 ever challenged that statement in another place. As I understand, the Government are impressed by that view, and they realise that great mischief might arise at this moment from doing anything from a legislative point of view that might tend to increase the cost of so important an article of consumption as milk. That is one of the reasons I should like to put forward for the introduction of this Bill. The second is that such reconstruction and rebuilding of farm premises and milk shops as might now be necessary if the operation of the Act of 1914 was not postponed would involve the use of labour and materials, and the Government are impsessed by the necessity for such labour and materials being employed in other quarters at the present time.
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The third, and I think the most important, reason that prompts the introduction of this Bill is that the Act of 1914, like many other legislative measures of the last quarter of a century, would entail the appointment of an additional number of officials. I have to point out to your Lordships that the health staffs of local authorities throughout the country have already been largely depleted since the commencement of the war. I do not know whether your Lordships are aware that over one-fifth of the medical officers of health and a great number of the veterinary officers employed by local authorities have already been detached from civilian to military duties, and this depletion is likely rather to become accentuated than diminished as time goes on. It is in these circumstances that this Bill has been brought in. It is hardly necessary for me to point out to your Lordships that if, as is proposed, the operation of the Act of last year is postponed for a certain time, the public will not be left without safeguards in respect to impure or adulterated mills. As noble Lords well know, there is a long series of Acts dealing with this and kindred matters which will be in force just as much as if the Act of last, year were allowed to come into operation at once. For instance, there is the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act of 1878, under which routine inspection is required by many local authorities of cattle and dairies; then there is the Act of 1886 and a long series of Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, besides other Acts with which I need not trouble your Lordships, under which the public will be adequately safeguarded. In moving last session the Second Reading of the Bill in question, my noble friend Lord Strachie said that in his opinion it was a matter in which the House might trust the Local Government Board. I am going to invite your Lordships to be kind enough to trust the Local Government Board in regard to this Postponement Bill. I ought to add, although your Lordships are probably aware of the fact, that this Bill has already passed through all its stages in another place with practically no opposition, and, as I said at the opening of my remarks, it will apply to Scotland as well as to this country.
Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(Lord Hylton.)
On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House To-morrow.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (THE MARQUESS OF CREWE): My Lords, it is possible that some noble Lords may have observed a statement which fell from the Prime Minister in another place yesterday with reference to the Munitions of War Bill. My right hon. friend expressed the opinion that the progress of that Bill through the House of Commons might he completed on Thursday, and he hoped therefore that it might be possible for it to pass through all its stages in this House at a Friday sitting. It is evident, of course, that its passage into law is an urgent matter. Nobody could dispute, I think, the propriety of the title of emergency measure as applied to it; and although we feel that it is a somewhat strong order to ask your Lordships to take a Bill of that importance through all its stages in one day, yet at the same time I hope it will be found, assuming that it
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comes up on Thursday night from another place, that the House will be willing to take that course. It will be noticed that such opposition as has been taken elsewhere to any of the provisions of the Bill has been the work of a body who are in no respect represented here—namely, the Socialist wing of the Labour representatives in Parliament. I hope, therefore, that as the measure has received a warm welcome—of course an exceedingly warm welcome for its objects, but also, I think, quite a warm welcome for its methods—from all Parties in another place, your Lordships may be found willing to take the course which I have indicated. His Majesty's Government trust sincerely that you will be able to do so.
House adjourned at ten minutes before Five o'clock, till Tomorrow, a quarter past Four o'clock.