Schedule. — (Acts continued.)

Part of Orders of the Day — Expiring Laws Continuance Bill. – in the House of Commons at on 16 November 1928.

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Photo of Sir Percy Harris Sir Percy Harris , Bethnal Green South West

I am very glad that, the hon. Member for Mile End (Mr. Scurr) has moved an Amendment on these lines. It is interesting to remember that this was the one great constructive Measure, the one great imaginative work of the Labour Government. I remember the Bill being engineered, with the assistance and aid of the present Minister of Transport, through the House of Commons. It shows that sooner or later the Liberal party will educate the Labour party. We tried to educate them during those few months when they found themselves, shall I say, in office but not in power. We used all our arts of persuasion, but they were adamant and would not listen. Here they are in the Lobby voting against every Amendment and finally in triumph voting for the Third Reading. A remarkable coalition! I remember the coalition so well—the coalition of the Conservative party and the Labour party to force this Bill through the House of Commons. The Bill became, in due course, an Act or Parliament. They have seen their progeny in four or five years grow into a lusty infant and they are ashamed of it, perhaps because it has rather a mixed ancestry, and they now want to bring it to an untimely end. I agree that this infant has not been much good. It has done, I think, a certain amount of mischief, and the sooner it is given a decent funeral at the end of this Parliament the better it will be for the Labour Government that may come into office some day and also for the Conservative Government, its foster father. I was rather surprised that the hon. Member for Mile End, who took such an active part in helping it to go through, was so anxious to have it destroyed. I am also sorry that the hon. Gentleman the Member for Whitechapel (Mr. Gosling), who was its particular godfather, is absent. I should have thought that he would have been here in order to singits praises. However we now see the curious spectacle of hon. Members suggesting that the one piece of original legislation that was placed on the Statute Book in 1924 should be withdrawn.

I agree with what the. Member for Mile End said about the Chairman of the Traffic Advisory Committee. One of the peculiarities of this Measure was the creation of this curious hybrid Advisory Committee of 19 members. There were only two representatives of the London County Council elected to the Committee, and I remember suggesting that the number should he increased to four. That. was voted down. I remember suggesting that this hybrid Committee should be given the usual and customary privilege of being allowed to elect their chairman. My hon. Friend the Member for Mile End—I have just looked over the Division List—voted for that very reasonable and moderate proposal being turned down, because, he said, forsooth, the Minister should have the right to make the nomination. Naturally the Minister took one of his bureaucrats and put him in charge. I think the appointment was made by the then Minister of Transport, the hon. Member for Whitechapel, and now my hon. Friend the Member for Mile End says that he made a very great blunder—