Lords Sitting of 18 March 1937

Preamble
The House met at a quarter past four of the clock, The LORD CHANCELLOR on the Woolsack.
Several Lords—Took the Oath.

KENT ELECTRIC POWER BILL. [H.L.]
Read 2a, and committed.
NEWCASTLE - UPON - TYNE CORPORATION (TROLLEY VEHICLES) PROVISIONAL ORDER BILL.
House in Committee (according to Order) on re-commitment of the Bill: Bill reported without amendment.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROVISIONAL ORDER (EAST HERTFORDSHIRE JOINT HOSPITAL DISTRICT) BILL.
House in Committee (according to Order) on recommitment of the Bill: Bill reported without amendment.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROVISIONAL ORDER (WALTHAM JOINT HOSPITAL DISTRICT) BILL.
House in Committee (according to Order) on re-commitment of the Bill: Bill reported without amendment.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROVISIONAL ORDER (WISBECH JOINT ISOLATION HOSPITAL DISTRICT) BILL.
House in Committee (according to Order) on re-commitment of the Bill: Bill reported without amendment.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROVISIONAL ORDER (EALING EXTENSION) BILL.
Amendments reported (according to Order).
MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROVISIONAL ORDER (SOMERSET AND WILTS) BILL.
Amendments reported (according to Order).

DEAF CHILDREN (SCHOOL ATTENDANCE) BILL.
Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
THE EARL OF CRAWFORD: My Lords, this Bill reaches us from the House of Commons where it recently passed through all its stages without opposition. The proposal is that the age for the compulsory attendance of deaf children, which is at present seven, shall become five in the future. Five is the age of attendance in Scotland and informed opinion in England is unanimous in thinking that the same age should be imposed in this country. This Bill equalises the ages between Scotland and England. Great progress has been made in recent years in the education of deaf children and I am glad to say that the number of deaf children has been reduced, because deafness as a sequelœ of such illnesses as measles or scarlet fever is being reduced by increased medical knowledge. But deaf children require a great deal of education in order to be taught to speak intelligently. In normal education the last two years of the educational career are the most valuable. In the case of deaf children the first two years are most valuable because a child, through the influences of the home or the absence of education, may either develop a peculiarity of inflection of voice or insistence upon certain aspects of the voice, which are deleterious to its future or else it hears wrong. The younger the child, therefore, the better the chance of education.
As I say, great progress has been made and opinion is unanimous now that five is preferable to seven as the compulsory age. So far as I know all local education authorities agree, all the teaching profession agree, the medical profession are united on the point, so that the authority for this proposal I consider to be very strong indeed. I do not think I need press the point upon your Lordships because the authority upon which the proposal is based is so very exceptionally strong that I am sure that your Lordships' House as a whole will agree. I

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will only add this technical point, that in matters of speech and audition the intuition of a child of five is greater than that of a child of seven and a child of seven has stronger intuitive powers than a child of nine. Some parents dislike sending their children early to school because they think it is not fair to the little afflicted child to go so early. Others send the child without thinking or else bring up the child badly. The experience of parents coincides with that of teachers, the public authority and all the medical world, and I believe the Bill to be unanimously supported. I would like to mention as testimony to the efficiency of the education of the deaf, that in Manchester, where this subject is more developed and more studied than in any other town, no fewer than 90 per cent. of the children who are congenitally deaf learn to use the human voice perfectly and 90 per cent. of those children get employment when they leave school. I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.
Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a. —(The Earl of Crawford.)
THE EARL OF LUCAN: My Lords, my noble friend Earl De La Warr is engaged as one of the United Kingdom delegates on the International Sugar Conference to-day and he has asked me on his behalf to say a very few words to your Lordships about the Government attitude towards this measure. As the noble Earl has explained, the object of the Bill is to reduce the commencing age for compulsory attendance of deaf children at school from seven to five years. Hitherto and for many years I understand deaf children have been the only exception to the rule which makes attendance compulsory at five years of age, and the noble Earl has explained to you the technical advantages of their going to school earlier. Anyhow, it does not seem necessary now to continue this difference on behalf of these young children. In fact, I am informed that the majority of deaf, children of between five and seven years of age now attend school voluntarily. Various organisations connected with the education of the deaf have from time to time urged that legislation to this effect should be introduced, and only last summer the President of the Board of Education, in answering a Question in another place, expressed his
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readiness to agree to legislation on this subject provided that it was entirely uncontroversial and that it was supported by local authorities and other organisations. As the noble Earl has said, this Bill had a perfectly uncontroversial passage through the House of Commons, and I can only say on behalf of the Government that they are very glad to give it their full support. I may add that I am told that the cost of the change is estimated at not more than £5,000 a year.
On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.

DEFENCE LOANS BILL.
Read 3a (according to Order), and passed.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT (FINANCIAL PROVISIONS) BILL.
Read 3a (according to Order).
Second Schedule:

SECOND SCHEDULE.

Enactments Repealed.

Session and Chapter.

Short Title.

Extent of Repeal.

15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 30.

The Rating and Valuation Act, 1925.

The proviso to paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of Section nine; and in paragraph (d) of that subsection the words "if provision were not" made by the said "Part II of the Second" Schedule for any such "relief as aforesaid" which operates only "in an urban rating" area".

VISCOUNT GAGE VISCOUNT GAGE moved, at the beginning of the reference in the third column to the Rating and Valuation Act, 1925, to leave out "The proviso to paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of Section nine" and insert: "In paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of Section nine the words (subject in the case of an urban rating area to such adjustment as is hereinafter provided)', the proviso to paragraph (c) of that subsection." The noble Viscount said: My Lords, I have

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two Amendments on the Paper, both perfectly simple drafting Amendments consequent on the repeal of various provisions of the Local Government Act and the Rating and Valuation Act. I beg to move the first Amendment.
Amendment moved—
Page 8, line 5, in column three, leave out lines 5 and 6 and insert—
(" In paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of Section nine the words ' (subject in the case of an urban rating area to such adjustment as is hereinafter provided)', the proviso to paragraph (c) of that subsection "). —(Viscount Gage.)
On Question, Amendment agreed to.
VISCOUNT GAGE: My Lords, the next Amendment, as I have already said, is also drafting.
Amendment moved—
Page 8, line 25, after ("day ") insert (", the words ' during that period ' "). —(Viscount Gage.)
On Question, Amendment agreed to.
Bill passed, and returned to the Commons.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (VISCOUNT HALIFAX): My Lords, before we adjourn I wish to say that it is proposed that the House should meet at a quarter past eleven to-morrow and that a Royal Commission should sit at half past eleven.
House adjourned at twenty-seven minutes before five o' clock.

HOUSE OF LORDS.
[From Minutes of March 18.]
LORD KINGSALE.
Petition of Michael William Robert, Lord Kingsale in the Peerage of Ireland, claiming a right to vote at the Elections of Representative Peers for Ireland: Read, and referred to the Lord Chancellor to consider and report upon to the House.
NORTH COTSWOLD RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL.
Petition of the North Cotswold Rural District Council under their Common Seal praying for leave to introduce a Bill to confer powers on the North Cotswold Rural District Council with reference to the construction of waterworks and the supply of water, and for other purposes; together with a copy of the proposed Bill annexed thereto: Read, and referred to the Examiners.

BURGESS HILL WATER BILL. [H.L.]
The King's Consent signified; and Bill reported from the Select Committee, with Amendments.
BARNSLEY CORPORATION BILL. [H.L.]
Reported from the Select Committee, with Amendments.
BARNET DISTRICT GAS AND WATER BILL. [H.L.]
MANSFIELD DISTRICT TRACTION BILL. [H.L.]
Reported, with Amendments.
LIVERPOOL EXCHANGE BILL.
Reported, without amendment.
KINGSBRIDGE AND SALCOMBE WATER BOARD BILL. [H.L.]
The King's Consent signified; and Bill reported, with Amendments.
HUDDERSFIELD CORPORATION BILL.
Brought from the Commons; read 1a, and referred to the Examiners.

SHEFFIELD GAS (No. 2) ORDER, 1936.
Report from the Special Orders Committee, That they have examined the Order which has been referred back to the Committee, after being considered by a Select Committee; that they have considered the modifications proposed by the Select Committee and recommend their adoption to the House; and that there is nothing further in this Order to which they think it necessary to call the attention of the House: Read, and ordered to lie on the Table.

DOVER ELECTRICITY (EXTEN SION) ORDER, 1937.
CHORLEY GAS ORDER, 1937.
Report from the Special Orders Committee, That no Petition has been presented praying to be heard against the Special Orders, and that there is nothing in these Orders to which they think it necessary to call the attention of the House: Read, and ordered to lie on the Table.