HL Deb 19 March 1941 vol 118 cc859-60

Order of the Day for the Third Reading read.

LORD TEMPLEMORE

My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend Lord Alness, I beg to move that this Bill be read a third time.

Moved, That the Bill be now read 3a.— (Lord Templemore.)

VISCOUNT BLEDISLOE

My Lords, I rise only as having presided over the Royal Commission on the Land Drainage of England and Wales, the Report of which was given effect to in the Land Drainage Bill of 1930, applicable to England and Wales, to say how very fortunate Scotland is in having a Bill, which will shortly become an Act of Parliament, framed on these lines. Indeed, to be quite frank, I think that we in England and Wales have some reason to be jealous of this Bill being passed so rapidly through all its stages during this war period, thus enabling, as I hope it will enable, a very large amount of valuable land, now more or less waterlogged, to be rendered suitable for a largely increased output of food.

Whilst welcoming the Bill most warmly, I should like to point out that so far as our English legislation is concerned, we do not enjoy the benefit which this Bill confers, I think, upon the community at large through the medium of a scheme which can be immediately carried out under the aegis of the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether there are reactionary, recalcitrant occupiers and owners or not; and under which, instead of demand- ing, as is necessary in England and Wales, at least a moiety of the cost of the drainage improvement from those concerned, the amount may be obtained from the owner, or even, if necessary, through the owner from the occupier of the land, by an annual levy. One trouble that we have in England is that so many farmers purchased land after the last war from their landlords, much of which was ill-drained—some of it was old alluvial land, potentially most fertile—and then found themselves, having expended all their money on the purchase of their farms, quite unable to find even a moiety for the necessary improvement, the Government finding the other moiety. The result is that in many districts the whole of the improved drainage of potentially fertile but now waterlogged land has been held up because of the absence of such drastic powers, capable of being rapidly carried out, as are conferred by this Bill. As an Englishman who is half a Scotsman, perhaps I may be allowed to intrude in this matter—a thing which I know Scotsmen are very much inclined to resent—to this extent, that, having been Chairman of the Royal Commission, I welcome this Bill with the full confidence that it will be of very material benefit to land generally in Scotland, and to the output of food from that country in particular.

On Question, Bill read 3a, with the Amendments, and passed, and returned to the Commons.