THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURYMy Lords, It is now my duty to move to resolve, That in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, this House do direct that the Archdeaconry of Surrey Measure, 1930, be presented to 927 His Majesty for the Royal Assent. This is a purely local Measure in its scope, but it requires special legislation, and the fact that by this new procedure such a purely local matter can become law without all the expense of a Private Act of Parliament is worth noting as we pass. This Measure has become necessary through that division of the great diocese of Winchester which excited an interesting debate in your Lordships' House some time ago. The diocese was divided into the dioceses of Winchester, Portsmouth and Guildford. It so happens that one of the canonries in Winchester Cathedral is annexed to the Archdeaconry of Surrey, an archdeaconry no longer functioning within the diocese of which Winchester is the cathedral church. It is, therefore, proposed that the canonry annexed to the Archdeaconry of Surrey should be suspended, and that the property which endows that canonry should be placed in the hands of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners on trust to apply the income towards the stipends of new canonries in the new cathedrals of Guildford and Portsmouth. There is nothing further to be said. It is obviously a good thing that the canonry which is no longer really functioning in the way which was intended should be altered, and that these new cathedrals should have this new measure of encouragement when they try to create their own cathedral life. I beg to move.
§ Moved to resolve, That in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, this House do direct that the Archdeaconry of Surrey Measure, 1930, be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent.—(The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury).