§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR (VISCOUNT HALDANE)My Lords, I beg to move that this Hill be now read a second time. This is a postponement Bill about which certain noble and learned Lords and myself have agreed. The reason for bringing this Rill forward is this. The Law of Property Act, the Act of the noble Earl, Lord Birkenhead, was referred to several ex-Lord Chancellors in co-operation. It is a very elaborate Act, as your Lordships know, and you may remember that it was pointed out that it would not be complete unless other Statutes relating to the law of real property were amended and brought into a modified form and the noble Earl's Act was brought, into conformity with them. We succeeded 778 in framing a Bill with the necessary wording. It is proposed that there should be a series of consolidating Acts and in these consolidating Acts your Lordships will have the law of real property. In order to do that it is necessary to postpone the operation of the noble Earl's Act. We all agreed that unless that was done there would be a confusion for which it would be difficult to find a remedy. We propose, therefore, to postpone the coming into operation of that particular Act until the first day of January, 1926.
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.