On Motion of Mr. DODSON, the follow-|cepted, public bodies would be able to ing Clause brought up, and read a first prevent the erection of works in the and second time:vicinity of parks. (Prevention from nuisance of alkali waste already deposited.) "Where alkali waste has been deposited on land, either before or after the commencement of this Act, and complaint is made to the chief inspector, that a nuisance is occasioned thereby, the chief inspector, if satisfied of the existence of the nuisance, and that it is within the power of the owner or occupier of the land to abate it, shall serve a notice on such owner or occupier requiring him to abate the nuisance; and if such owner or occupier shall fail to use the best practicable and reasonably available means for the abatement thereof, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds; and if he does not proceed to use such means within such time as shall be limited by the Court inflicting such fine, then he shall be liable to a further penalty of five pounds per day from the expiry of the time so limited." On Question, "That the Clause be added to the Bill." MR. DODSON said, the proposed clause went beyond the hon. Member's explanation. The clause read thus"In case it shall appear to the inspector that there is an objection on public grounds to the situation of the works proposed to be registered, he shall, before giving his certificate, communicate with the local authority of the place where such works are situate, and within two months of such communication the works shall not be registered, and within the same time the Local Government Board may order that such works shall not be registered." But by Section 10, existing works had a right to claim to be registered, upon complying with certain conditions. The new clause, therefore, would give the Local Government Board the authority to abolish existing works. MR. SLAGG would be glad if, in the 1st line, the right hon. Gentleman would consent to insert, after the word "land," "or discharged in a water" course." MR. SLAGG explained there was a misprint in the clause. It should readWorks proposed to be erected." MR. DODSON suggested that the hon. MR. DODSON said, he had no objec- Member should withdraw the clause tion to leave out the words "on land," now, and, if he wished to do so, bring and insert "or discharged." it up again in an amended form, which, as the Chairman would shortly report Amendment to proposed new Clause Progress, he would have the opportunity agreed to. Question put, and agreed to. MR. SLAGG, in moving, after Clause 11, to insert the following Clause:— "In case it shall appear to the inspector that there is an objection on public grounds to the situation of the works proposed to be registered, he shall, before giving his certificate, communicate with the local authority of the place where such works are situate, and such works shall not be registered until two calendar months after such communication shall have been made to the local authority. The local authority to whom such communication is made may, at any time within two calendar months from receiving such communication, lay before the Local Government Board its objections to the registration of such works, and the Local Government Board, after considering such objections and the statement made by the owners of such works, may make an order directing that such works shall not be registered, and the decision of the Local Government Board in such case shall be final," said, his object was to make it possible for town councils and other public bodies to provide means for protecting public parks from the injuries occasioned by noxious gases. If his clause was ac of doing in Committee. EARL PERCY asked, whether the objection could not be obviated by inserting, instead of the words "situation of the works," "erection of the works." MR. SLAGG said, that was his meaning; but he would accept the suggestion of the right hon. Gentleman. Motion, by leave, withdrawn. MR. SLAGG, in moving the following new Clause: "In case any urban or rural authority, or any ten householders, shall make complaint to the Local Government Board of any noxious or offensive discharge into the atmosphere, from works of any kind situate in the district of such authority, or in the township where such householders reside, the Board shall examine such complaint, and, if the same shall appear well founded, may make an order placing any such works under inspection, either for a limited period or permanently; and Part II. of this Act shall apply to such works, as well as to the works specified therein," said, it was an elastic clause, embracing other works than those comprehended in the Bill. In "another place" a 7 Schedule was proposed by Lord Brod- | prepared to assume such power as would rick, including a number of works he be given by the clause to the Board, of wished to have included; but he (Mr. placing any class of works under Part Slagg) thought it desirable to add an II. of the Bill. Moreover, he would elastic clause such as this, in order point out that notice of this had not that obnoxious trades might be com- been given to the manufacturing inteprehended, which would, if the Bill rests, and they had not been led to were left in its present state, be left expect any such control. Under the to do their evil work. Lord Brodrick's circumstances, he could not agree to Schedule was rejected, on the ground the clause. that compliance with it must necessitate an enormous increase in the staff of the Local Government Board. To avoid this objection, and at the same time provide the means of redress, this elastic clause was now proposed. Clause brought up, and read a first time. Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause be now read a second time." MR. WIGGIN hoped the clause would not be accepted. Every works in the country might be stopped by the hostility of a few persons setting to work together. MR. DILLWYN said, he had an objection to all such elastic clauses. EARL PERCY said, there was no question of putting a stop to works. The only proposal was to bring certain works within the 2nd part of the Bill, if it should seem right to do so, by the local authority, and not at the will of some half-a-dozen householders. They would be only brought within that part of the Bill which would prevent the works being a nuisance to the neighbourhood in which they were situated. It was a reasonable clause, and it carried out, to a certain extent, a principle to which the Noxious Vapours Committee attached much importance. Question put, and negatived. Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Chairman do report Progress, and ask leave to sit again.”—(Mr. Dodson.) MR. DILLWYN asked, would the Bill be reprinted? It was important that it should be, in the interests of large trades which it seriously affected. MR. DODSON said, the Bill could not be ordered to be reprinted until it The had gone through Committee. week, and the Bill would be reprinted Committee would resume on Monday before the consideration of Report. Question put, and agreed to. Committee report Progress; to sit again upon Monday 13th June. NEWSPAPERS (LAW OF LIBEL) BILL. Bill considered in Committee. (In the Committee.) Clause 6 (Penalty for omission to make annual returns). clause to allow of Amendments at the suggestion of the hon. Member (Mr. Hutchinson); and he had now to move in page 3, line 9, to leave out the word "ten" and insert "twenty-five." MR. STEVENSON said, to some ex- THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir tent the clause did, as the noble Earl HENRY JAMES) said, when last in Com(Earl Percy) said; but it went far be-mittee Progress was reported on this yond the recommendation of the Committee, which was that certain works, not every conceivable kind of works not specified, should be brought under inspection but not at the request of the local authority. The Royal Commission proposed that only a Provisional Order confirmed by Parliament should have this effect. Parliament would be parting with its powers to agree to this. MR. DODSON said, this was a clause he could not agree to. In the interests of the manufacturer or of the Local Government Board he should not be Amendment agreed to; words substituted accordingly. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES) said, that steps must be taken that registration should take place, and the order not being complied with, the penalty followed as a matter of course. He moved that in page 3, line 9, after the word "pounds," these words be inserted "And also to be directed by a summary order to make a return within a specified time." Amendment agreed to; words inserted accordingly. Clause, as amended, agreed to, and ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 7 (Power to party to make return) agreed to. Clause 8 (Penalty for wilful misrepresentation in or omission from return). THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES) said, it had been thought well to increase the penalty in those cases where the Act was evaded by the making of a false Return; and, therefore, he would move in page 3, line 28, to leave out "twenty" and insert "one hundred." Amendment agreed to; words substituted accordingly. Clause, as amended, agreed to, and ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 9 (Registrar to enter returns in register). MR. HUTCHINSON moved, as an Amendment, in page 3, line 31, to leave out "a book," and insert "books." That, and other Amendments following, were Departmental Amendments, inserted at the instance of the Board of Trade. He accepted them, and, in the absence of the Secretary to the Board, moved them. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES) said, he did not quite understand the object. The singular would be taken to include the plural; but the Amendment would mean that every return should be entered in books, and he did not see how that could be carried out. As it was not clear what was the object of these Amendments, they had better be allowed to stand over until Report. MR. HUTCHINSON said, he was not prepared to defend the Amendments. They were proposed at the instance of the Board of Trade, in accordance with the usual recommendation. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause agreed to, and ordered to stand part of the Bill. The Attorney General MR. LABOUCHERE, in moving, in page 2, after Clause 3, to insert the following Clause:— "A court of summary jurisdiction, upon the hearing of a charge against a proprietor, pub. lisher, or editor, or any person responsible for the publication of a newspaper, for a libel pub. lished therein, may receive evidence as to the publication being for the public benefit, and as to the matters charged in the libel being true, and as to the report being fair and accurate, and which under this or any other Act, or otherwise, published without malice, and as to any matter might be given in evidence by way of defence by the person charged on his trial or indictment, and the Court, if of opinion after hearing such sumption that the jury on the trial would acquit evidence that there is a strong or probable prethe person charged, may dismiss the case," said, it was not necessary to speak to the Не New Clause (Enquiry by court of for public benefit summary jurisdiction as to libel being brought up, read a first and second time, or being true), and added to the Bill. MR. LABOUCHERE moved the insertion of the following new Clause: offence under this Act, shall be deemed to be an Every libel or alleged libel, and every offence within and subject to the provisions of the Act of the Session of the twenty-second and twenty-third years of the reign of Her present Majesty, chapter seventeen, intituled an Act to prevent vexatious indictments for certain misdemeanours, and when any person is charged with any such offence before any justice or justices, such justice or justices shall take into consideration any evidence adduced before him or them tending to show that the act charged was not committed with a guilty intent." New Clause (22 and 23 Vic. c. 17, made applicable to this Act), brought up, and read a first time. Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause be read a second time." THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES) said, he must object to the last words of the clause for one reason, because it seemed to define what should or should not come within the Act as misdemeanours. He would accept the clause with the words after "misdemeanours" struck out. It was an error in drafting to insert them. Question put, and agreed to. Motion made, and Question, "That the Clause be amended by the omission of the words after misdemeanours' to end of Clause," put, and agreed to. Clause, as amended, agreed to, and added to the Bill. MR. LABOUCHERE, in moving the insertion of the following new Clause:"Where, in the opinion of the Board of Trade, inconvenience would arise or be caused, in any case from the registry of the names of all the proprietors of the newspaper (either owing to minority, coverture, absence from the United Kingdom, minute sub-division of shares, or other special circumstances), it shall be lawful for the Board of Trade to authorise the registration of such newspaper in the name or names of some one or more responsible representative proprietors,"" said, it was assented to by the Government and the hon. Gentleman in charge of the Bill (Mr. Hutchinson). New Clause Board of Trade may authorize registration of the names of only a portion of the proprietors of a newspaper), brought up, and read a first time. Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause be read a second time." MR. WARTON said, he could quite see the propriety of not mentioning all the names in the case of minorities or other good reasons for not doing so; but he thought the words of the clause went a little too far. All the names should be registered when not subject to any disability. But the clause did not seem to say that it would accept all but "one or more; "thus they might have some person writing in a newspaper and some the matter, while there might be other other person named in connection with persons responsible without any disability. He thought that all should be registered, not subject to any disability. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES) said, there were many newspapers, there was one especially, that had a large number of proprietors. One journal had as many as 60 or 70. The clause was intended so that, with the permission of the Board of Trade, where there was a minute sub-division of shares and registration was difficult, because the shareholders were a fluctuating number, then the registration should be of a representative number of these proprietors. MR. WARTON asked, why were they called representative proprietors? Were they to be chosen by the others? THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES) said, it was intended these names should appear on the register as representative proprietors, to show that there were others behind. Without these words it would appear that those mentioned were sole proprietors. Question put, and agreed to. Clause read a second time, and added to the Bill. On Motion of The ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir Henry James), the following clauses were agreed to, and added to the Bill. In page 4, after Clause 11, insert the following Clauses: (Recovery of penalties and enforcement of orders.) "All penalties under this Act may be recovered before a court of summary jurisdiction in manner provided by the Summary Jurisdiction Acts. "Summary orders under this Act may be made by a court of summary jurisdiction and four of The Summary Jurisdiction Act, 1879, ' enforced in manner provided by section thirtyand, for the purposes of this Act, that section shall be deemed to apply to Ireland in the same manner as if it were re-enacted in this Act." (Definitions.) "The expression a court of summary jurisdiction has in England the meanings assigned SUSPENSION OF EVICTIONS MOTION FOR LEAVE. MAJOR NOLAN moved for leave to Bill reported; as amended, to be con- bring in a Bill to suspend evictions in sidered upon Thursday next. MOTIONS. Ireland until the 1st day of October, 1881, on certain conditions. Objection being taken to the Motion, MR. HEALY: This Bill is in pre POOR RELIEF AND AUDIT OF AC- cisely the same position as the other, COUNTS (SCOTLAND) BILL. LEAVE. FIRST READING. THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. M'LAREN) moved for leave to bring in a Bill relating to the Audit of the Accounts of Parochial Boards and School Boards in Scotland. He said the measure was introduced in accordance with the recommendation of the Select Committee of 1871. He would not at this hour (2 45 A.M.) go into particulars. Motion agreed to. Bill for the Amendment of the Laws relating to the Relief of the Poor, and for the establishment of an Audit of the Accounts of Parochial Boards and School Boards in Scotland, ordered to be brought in The LORD ADVOCATE and Mr. SOLICITOR GENERAL for SCOTLAND. Bill presented, and read the first time. [Bill 182.] and, as the objection has not stood, I presume this cannot stand. MR. SPEAKER: The objections do stand. Motion put off. THE MEMBER FOR DUNGARVAN (EXPLANATION).-RESOLUTION. SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT said, he rose, in the name of the Prime Minister, to move a Resolution. The circumstances of the suspension of the hon. Men ber for Dungarvan (Mr. O'Donnell) would be remembered, and the explanation given by that hon, Member afterwards; and in view of that explanation this Resolution had been prepared, |