§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ LORD STRACHIEMy Lords, this is a Bill which was promoted by the County Councils Association, and passed all its stages in the House of Commons as an unopposed Bill, so that I think I may appeal to your Lordships to treat it as an agreed Bill. Its object is to amend the Act of 1890, which enabled county councils to subscribe, according to their population, up to a maximum of thirty guineas a year. The object of this Bill is to allow county councils to subscribe up to a maximum of forty guineas a year. It will only be necessary for five county councils to adopt the higher scale, and the reason why the County Councils Association is asking for this power to be given to county councils is that the cost of salaries, printing, and other office expenses has increased very largely, as is the case in other businesses. I can assure the House as to the economic way in which the county councils have hitherto administered this great organisation when I say that up to now the expenditure has only been £750, and we are now only asking for an additional £400 a year.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(Lord Strachie.)
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.