§ Procedure with respect to the making and approval of Orders under Section One.
§ 1. Before making an order under Section one of this Act, the Board of Trade shall cause notice of their intention to make the order and of the place where copies of the draft order may be inspected and obtained, and of the time within and manner in which objections to the draft order may be made, to be published in the London Gazette and in such other manner as they think best adapted for informing persons affected.
§ VISCOUNT BERTIE OF THAME moved, in paragraph 1, after "within," to insert "which, not being less than thirty days." The noble Viscount said: My Lords, I think that the time should be stated within which objections to a draft order should be made. I have chosen a period of thirty days, a period used in paragraph 4 in the case of memorials presented to the Board of Trade.
1004
§
Amendment moved—
Page 7, line 9, after ("within") insert ("which, not being less than thirty days,").—(Viscount Bertie of Thame.)
LORD MERTHYRI am afraid that this Amendment likewise cannot be accepted, although I am prepared to go so far as to say that in no case in practice would the Board use a period of less than fourteen days. There may be cases where thirty days would be too long. Therefore it is not possible to agree to the Amendment. I would also remind the House that there is a further period of delay which the Board have got to suffer in any case in paragraph 4 of this Schedule. That is that the order has got to be laid before the Houses of Parliament for a period of thirty days after the draft has been settled, and if this Amendment were passed it would mean that under those two provisions alone there would be a delay of sixty days. It might be much too long to prevent the very abuses which this Bill seeks to stop. There might be a person, or a corporation, taking away shingle from a shore, doing much damage, creating some danger, and this delay might be very detrimental, if not fatal. There are several precedents for the wording of the Bill as it stands, but I need not read out other Acts of Parliament in which these words are used. This Amendment cannot be accepted.
§ VISCOUNT BERTIE OF THAMEAs the noble Lord has produced precedents I beg leave to withdraw.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Bill passed, and returned to the Commons.