§ LORD ADDISONhad given Notice that he would move, That Standing Order No. XXXVIII be considered in order to its being dispensed with, and that the Bill be read 2a. The noble Lord said: My Lords, I am sorry to have to inflict upon your Lordships another Bill, but this is a very innocent Bill indeed, and I sincerely hope that it will not suffer the fate to which its predecessor has been sentenced. This Bill is similar to the one which was passed for Scotland, but I am very sorry to say that by some inadvertence for which neither I nor my friends had any responsibility, but the responsibility for which I think belongs to its supporters at the other end of the passage, it is necessary to move the suspension of this Standing Order if we are now to proceed with it. The Bill was brought to this House on April 25. In order to allow us to consider the Bill today, it is necessary to ask your Lordships to dispense with Standing Order No. XXXVIII, which provides:
§ Moved, That the Bill be referred to a Select Committee.—(Lord Teynham.)
§ LORD CHESHAMMay I be allowed to say that I do not represent either big or small owners but that as a national federation we are chiefly small owners?
§ On Question, Whether the Motion shall be agreed to?
§
Their Lordships divided:—Contents, 20; Not-Contents, 13.
When a Bill brought from the House of Commons shall have remained on the Table of this House for twelve sitting days without any Lord giving notice of the Second Reading thereof, such Bill shall not any longer appear among the Bills in Progress, and shall not be further proceeded with in the same Session, except after eight sitting days' notice given by a Lord of the Second Reading thereof.…
| CONTENTS. | ||
| Dudley, E. [Teller.] | Belstead, L. | Newton, L. |
| Radnor, E. | Doverdale, L. | O'Hagan, L. |
| Vane, E. (M. Londonderry.) | Eltisley, L. | Roche, L. |
| Gainford, L. | Rotherwick, L. | |
| Elibank, V. | Harmsworth, L. | Sandhurst, L. |
| Goschen, V. | Harris, L. | Teynham, L. [Teller.] |
| Mersey, V. | Mancroft, L. | Wigan, L. (E. Crawford.) |
| NOT-CONTENTS. | ||
| Bertie of Thame, V. | Clwyd, L. | Noel-Buxton, L. |
| Samuel, V. | Denman, L. | Sempill, L. |
| Dunleath, L. | Snell, L. | |
| Addison, L. [Teller.] | Harlech, L. | Strabolgi, L. [Teller.] |
| Chesham, L. | Marley, L. |
§ There is not time, of course, between now and the end of the Session to do that, and in order to allow us to give it a Second Reading—I will not say anything about the Bill until we get to it—I must ask your Lordships if you will be willing to dispense with Standing Order No. XXXVIII.
§ The Bill appears to have been buried inadvertently since it came from the House of Commons, but it is a very worthy little Bill. It is identical with one which your Lordships passed for Scotland earlier in the year and which has now become law. Those responsible for it are willing in advance, may I say, to accept Amendments of the type of those which made the Scottish Bill acceptable and which were negotiated by my noble friend below the Gangway. If, therefore, you will allow us to dispense with Standing Order No. XXXVIII I do not think the 515 Bill itself will present any difficulty, and I hope your Lordships will extend your clemency to it.
§ Moved, That Standing Order No. XXXVIII be considered in order to its being dispensed with—(Lord Addison.)
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDMy Lords, I should be very happy to dispense with Standing Order No. XXXVIII if my noble friend Lord Addison would consent to refer the Bill to the same Select Committee as that to which his last Bill has been referred.
§ VISCOUNT BRIDPORTMy Lords, His Majesty's Government agree to the Motion to dispense with the Standing Order.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to, and ordered accordingly.
§ LORD ADDISONMy Lords, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time. I have nothing more to say except to confirm what I said before: that those in charge of the Bill, under the direction of the noble Earl on the Government Bench, who will, I believe, assist us, as the Government did before, in putting the Amendments into acceptable form, have no objection to Amendment's making the Bill applicable to the law of England, which differs in certain forms, as we all know, from the law of Scotland as to its procedure. Subject to that being done in Committee in the same way as it was for the Scottish Bill, I hope that your Lordships will agree to the Second Reading to-day.
§ Moved, That the Bill he now read 2a.—(Lord Addison).
§ LORD GAINFORDMy Lords, I may say on behalf of my Association that as long as these Amendments are put in we are quite agreeable to the Bill being passed into law.
§ VISCOUNT BRIDPORTMy Lords, His Majesty's Government welcome the Bill, on condition that in Committee Amendments shall be put in to bring the Bill into conformity with the Act that has already passed your Lordships' House. They have no objection to the Second Reading, and hope your Lordships will agree to it.
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.