Sitting of 23 April 1912

Preamble
The LORD CHANCELLOR acquainted the House, That the Clerk of the Parliaments had laid upon the Table the Certificates from the Examiners that the further Standing Orders applicable to the following Bills have been complied with:

Liverpool Corporation.

Newry, Keady and Tynan Railway.

Collooney, Balling and Belmullet Railways and Piers.

Edgware and Hampstead Railway.

London Electric Railway.

Annfield Plain and District Gas.

Church Stretton Urban District Water.

Dunstable Gas and Water.

Egremont Urban District Water.

Fleetwood Gas.

Metropolitan District Railway.

Port of London Authority.

Ramsbottom Urban District Railless Traction.

Windermere District Gas and Water.

Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier.

Also the certificate that the Standing Orders have not been complied with in respect of the petition for additional provision in the following Bill:
Great Northern Railway. [H.L.]
Also the certificate that the Standing Order applicable to the following Bill has been complied with:
Metropolitan Police Provisional Order.
And also the Certificates that the Standing Orders applicable to the following Bills have not been complied with:
London Trust Company—(Petition for Bill).
The same were ordered to lie on the Table.

HOUGHTON-LE-SPRING DISTRICT GAS BILL. [H.L.]
Petition for additional Provision of the Houghton-le-Spring District Gas Company under their Common Seal, together with the proposed Amendment annexed thereto; read, and referred to the Examiners.
LOTHIAN RAILWAYS BILL. [H.L.]
A witness ordered to attend the Select Committee.
NORTH-EASTERN RAILWAY BILL. [H.L.]
The CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES informed the House that the Promoters do not intend to proceed further with the Bill: The Orders made on the 6th and 27th of March last discharged: Ordered that the Bill be not further proceeded with.
HERNE BAY GAS BILL. [H.L.]
Report from the Select Committee, That the Committee had not proceeded with the consideration of the Bill no parties having appeared in opposition thereto; read, and ordered to lie on the Table: The Orders made on the 19th and 27th of March last discharged, and Bill committed.
YSTRADFELLTE WATER BILL. [H.L.]
Report from the Select Committee, That the Committee had not proceeded with the consideration of the Bill no parties having appeared in opposition thereto; read, and ordered to lie on the Table: The Orders made on the 27th of February and the 27th of March last discharged, and Bill committed.
MANCHESTER ROYAL EXCHANGE BILL. [H.L.]
Read 3a, and passed, and sent to the Commons.
BEDWELLTY URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL BILL.
Brought from the Commons; read 1a; and referred to the Examiners.
HOUGHTON-LE-SPRING DISTRICT GAS BILL. [H.L.]
Order made on the 27th of March last appointing certain Lords a Select Committee to consider the Bill, discharged.
CHRISTCHURCH GAS BILL. [H.L.]
  LLANELLY RURAL DISTRICT WATER BILL. [H.L.]

    LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY BILL [H.L.]
    GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY BILL. [H.L.]
    BLYTH HARBOUR BILL. [H.L.]
    CITY OK LONDON (VARIOUS POWERS) BILL. [H.L.]
    STEPNEY BOROUGH COUNCIL (SPITAL FIELDS MARKET) BILL. [H.L.]
    Report from the Committee of Selection, That the Lord Ravensworth and the Lord Vivian be proposed to the House as

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    Members of the Select Committee on the said Bills in the place of the Earl of Plymouth and the Lord Seaton, and that the Marquess of Bristol be Chairman of the said Committee; read, and agreed to.

BLYTH HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS (RE-CONSTITUTION) BILL. [H.L.]
Report from the Committee of Selection, That the Five Lords appointed a Select Committee on the Christchurch Gas Bill [H.L.] and other Bills do form the Select Committee for the consideration of the Blyth Harbour Commissioners (Reconstitution) Bill [H.L.]; read, and agreed to: All Petitions referred to the Committee, with leave to the Petitioners praying to be heard by Counsel against the Bill to be heard as desired, as also Counsel for the Bill.

ARMY (ANNUAL) BILL.
Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee, read.
Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(Viscount Haldane.)
On Question, Motion agreed to.
House in Committee accordingly.
[The EARL OP DONOUGHMOEE in the Chair.]
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (VISCOUNT HALDANE): My Lords, it will probably be convenient that I should briefly explain the Amendments of the Army Act which are contained in this Bill. They are little more than routine. The first deals with stoppages out of the pay of officers in India in penal cases. It is provided, at the wish of the Indian Government, that all such cases should be reported to the Indian Government, so that the authorities there may take action upon them. The next Amendment enables the stoppage out of the pay of a soldier, when a bastardy order has been made against him, to be increased in the case of a noncommissioned officer from 6d. to 7d., and in the case of a soldier below that rank from 3d. to 4d., and there is also an Amendment making this provision apply to existing bastardy orders. There is also an Amendment extending the provisions of the Geneva Convention to voluntary aid
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societies in this country as well as abroad. Then there is an Amendment which is required for the purpose of the South African Government in accordance with their new Defence Act. It is a purely technical matter, simply effecting an alteration in the Army Act so as to make it work I in South Africa. There is also a provision I increasing the schedule of allowances for billeting in inns, in places where there is a legal liability, making a slight addition for the future to what the Army has to pay.
Clauses 1 to 4 agreed to.
Clause 5:
Amendment of Section 145 of Army Act.
5. The amount which may be deducted from the pay of a soldier in respect of a bastard child under subsection (2) of section one hundred and forty-five of the Army Act shall be increased, in the case of a non-commissioned officer who is not below the rank of sergeant, to sevenpence, and in the case of any other soldier to fourpence, and accordingly the words "in respect of a bastard child sevenpence" and "in respect of a bastard child fourpence" shall be substituted in that subsection for the words "in respect of a bastard child sixpence" and "in respect of a bastard child threepence" respectively.
VISCOUNT HALDANE: I move to add to Clause 5 the new subsection standing in my name.
Amendment moved—
Clause 5, page 3, line 29, after ("respectively") insert as a new subsection:
"(2) Where an order has before the commencement of this Act been made under the said section authorising deductions to be made in respect of a bastard child, a further order may be made increasing the amount of the deductions to be made after the commencement of this Act under the former order up to the limit authorised by this section."—(Viscount Haldane.)
On Question, Amendment agreed to.
Clause 5, as amended, agreed to.
Clause 6:
Amendment of Section 163 of the Army Act relating to evidence.
6. At the end of subsection (1) of section one hundred and sixty-three of the Army Act (which makes certain documents evidence) the following paragraph shall be added:—
"(j) Where the proceedings are proceedings against a soldier on a charge of being a deserter or absentee without leave, and the soldier has surrendered himself into the custody of any portion of His Majesty's forces, a certificate purporting to have been signed by the commanding officer of that portion of His Majesty's forces shall be evidence of the fact, date, and place of such surrender."
VISCOUNT HALDANE VISCOUNT HALDANE formally moved to omit "shall be evidence of" at the end of paragraph (j), and to insert "and stating"; and after the word "surrender" to insert "shall be evidence of the matters so stated."
Amendments moved—
Clause 6, page 3, line 39, leave out ("shall be evidence of ") and insert ("and stating")
Clause 6, page 3, line 40, after ("surrender")
insert ("shall be evidence of the matters so stated").—(Viscount Haldane)
On Question, Amendments agreed to.
Clause 6, as amended, agreed to.
Remaining clauses and schedule agreed to.
The Report of Amendments to be received To-morrow and Standing Order No. XXXIX to be considered in order to its being dispensed with, and Bill to be printed as amended. (No. 35.)
House adjourned at twenty-five minutes before Five o'clock, till To-morrow, a, quarter past Four o'clock.