§ Order of the Day read for the consideration of the Commons Amendment to a Lords Amendment and Commons Reasons for disagreeing to certain of the Lords Amendments.
§ LORD PARMOOR:My Lords, I beg to move that the Commons Amendment to a Lords Amendment and the Commons Reasons for disagreeing with certain of the Lords Amendments be now considered. I want to say one word before we come to these specific matters which, of course, will be dealt with in turn. There are really two points on which the Commons disagree with the Amendments made in this House, but the fact of disagreement on those two points really puts rather in the background the large number of Amendments which the Commons have accepted as introduced in this House— not only drafting Amendments, which are considerable in number, but substantial matters on which your Lordships insisted that the power of the Minister should be curtailed in certain directions in favour of the authorities. Those Amendments have all been accepted, and we will hope and believe that they are all improvements in the Bill as sent up to this House. It is really only on two points that there is disagreement, and I will leave them over until they actually arise. One relates to the tramway and tramway car point, and the other is as to the date to 357 which the Bill is to endure, whether 1927 or 1930. The other is a mere drafting matter.
§ Moved, That the Commons Amendment and Reasons be now considered.—(Lord Parmoor.)
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY:My Lords, perhaps it will be convenient for me to say, first with regard to the speech just delivered, that I think the noble Lord is right in calling the attention of your Lordships to the very large number of points on which the House of Commons have thought well to agree with your Lordships in the Amendments you introduced into this Bill. It is true that a great attempt was made in this House to liberate the independence of the local authorities who are called upon to appoint representatives on the Advisory Committee, and much pains were taken also to see that the additional members should not have control over the most contentious part of the duties of the Advisory Committee. All those Amendments have been accepted by the House of Commons, but there remain two Amendments of importance which they have not accepted. I suppose we must be content if we do not get everything we want. Therefore, we must not be too eager to insist upon a number of things upon which the House of Commons have not seen fit to agree with us. After all, compromise is the very essence of public life, and I suppose we must accept the situation in that spirit.
As regards the time Amendment, I confess that I do not attribute so much importance to it as some of my noble friends have done. My belief is that at the end of the three years this Act will find a resting place in the Expiring Laws Continuance Act, where it will continue for a great many years That has been what the experience of a considerable public life has taught me and with whatever care a limit of time is inserted in a Bill of this description, when that limited time comes to an end a hurried Government, at the end of the Session, can think of nothing better to do than put the Act in the Expiring Laws Continuance Act. As regards the tramway Amendment, undoubtedly it is an Amendment of very considerable importance, and it is, I confess, with very great reluctance that I see the last of that 358 Amendment. It appears to me that it was dictated by not only a sense of symmetry but also by a sense of equity and justice as well, and I very much regret that the Commons have not seen their way to accept it.
§ LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEU:My Lords, I regret that on this occasion I cannot agree with what the noble Marquess has said. I have made efforts this morning, at a meeting of the parties interested, to get them to see the point in the same way as the noble Marquess, but what is the position? It is that we are going to put tramways in a favourable position as regards pedestrians and every other kind of vehicle. I can see no reason for that and, although I regret it, I must voice the opinion of those interested to whom I have referred, and I cannot agree to accept the Commons Amendment on this point.
§ LORD PARMOOR:That matter will come up for discussion when that special Amendment is dealt with, and I ask your Lordships now to allow the House to come to the consideration of the Commons Reasons.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.