Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: The Debate has ranged over a very wide field to-night. Every aspect of my right hon. and gallant Friend's policy has been under review. I make no apology for introducing a topic which has not been dealt with so far. I am going to speak about a matter in which there has been a departure from established policy. For some years there has been in existence in this country a scheme for the...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has considered a letter from the town clerk of Lerwick, dated 12th January, 1940, on the subject of coal prices in Shetland; and what answer he has returned?
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: The hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Horabin) referred to the losses, and other hon. Members have referred to the same thing. The right hon. Member for Hillsborough (Mr. Alexander) suggested that the way in which these losses might be made good was by the purchase and charter of neutral tonnage and the building of ships. He omitted, however, to mention one method of minimising these losses...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: I hope that the House will forgive me for detaining it for a few moments, but there is one aspect of this question which touches the interests of my constituents very closely. It is the incidence of freight rates on the cost of living. My right hon. Friend will be aware that two years ago a committee reported on the state of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and this question of freight...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: I shall not follow the hon. and learned Member in regard to drink, but I take him up on one point. I always listen to him with respect when he talks about law, but when he talks about sheep my respect comes to an end. The hon. and learned Member suggested that it would be a good thing to put cast ewes in deer forests, presumably after they have been tupped, and he thought there would then be...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: The hon. and learned Member would find that he would lose a very heavy percentage of his cast ewes wintered in the deer forests, and of those that did survive, a great many would have no lambs at all; of those who did have lambs, a large proportion would not have a drop of milk, and the net result would be disaster for the owners of these cast ewes.
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: No, I did not say that. I am talking about cast ewes. These are aged ewes which would not survive another winter in the highlands. I am not talking about the young sheep for which the deer forests are perfectly suitable. I do not wish, however, to pursue this particular topic any further and I pass to the subject to which I intended to refer when I rose. I have always regarded this Supply...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: I beg to move, in page 13, line 32, at the end, to insert: 'or(c) shootings or fishings. The object of this Amendment is to secure that the rate of premium payable under Part 1 of the Bill in respect of shootings or fishings shall be 6d. in the £ the same rate as that prescribed for agricultural properties and for properties devoted to open-air games, open-air racing or open-air recreation,...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: asked the Minister of Information whether he is aware that great distress was caused to many relatives of the crew of the "Empress of Australia" by the publication in the newspapers on 27th January of information, emanating from the Tropical Radio Station, Florida, which proved to be entirely without foundation; that publication of news of this kind leads to great inconvenience and loss of...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: Since the con duct of the Commission has been mentioned, would I be in Order as Chair man —
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: I am grateful, Mr. Speaker, for having been able to catch your eye at this early stage. I was Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Commission which inquired into this subject in Edinburgh, and having acted in a judicial capacity with regard to this Order I do not very much relish the prospect of having now to take sides in this question. However, it is inevitable under the circumstances which...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: There have been many letters in the Scottish Press, but not one of those letters has produced a single new fact bearing on the case. So much for that. My hon. Friend suggests that the scheme is one which is disturbing to, or is liable to disturb, national unity. National unity is not a characteristic which distinguishes the Scots. The- only thing as far as I can see that we in Scotland are...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: The House must, of course, always have the right, ultimately, to decide in any way it likes. The point I am making is that a tacit understanding seems to have grown up that once a Commission has dealt with one of these Bills in Scotland the House accepts it.
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: I do not think that follows at all. There is a very great variety of committees. There is a particular kind of committee appointed to sift evidence in this particular kind of case.
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: I do not wish to waste time by pursuing this argument. However, I feel myself that if this Bill were overturned, it would seriously undermine the confidence which is at present felt in private legislation procedure as carried out in Scotland. One hon. Member observed that the scheme could not be carried out during the war. Whoever suggested that it was to be carried out during the war? That...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: The hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Sloan) opened his remarks by giving qualified approval to a scheme, which he then proceeded to show, in his own words, was not going to confer any benefit upon Scotland at all. He improved upon that as time went on and ended upon a more hopeful note.
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: He spoke about the relative merits of coal and water power for generating electricity; all that has been brought out in the Report, and he could lead it. The point that he overlooks is that we have got water power in the Highlands, but we have not got any coal there. This leads me to mention that constantly when investigating committees have gone into this problem they have had before them...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: The hon. Member will forgive me if I do not follow his remarks, but I want to go back to an earlier speech made by the hon. and gallant Member for East Norfolk (Colonel Medlicott). He made an admirable speech on the subject of welfare, more particularly the welfare of soldiers' families. His speech touched a chord in my memory as well as in my heart, because it is a subject with which I had a...
Major Sir Basil Neven-Spence: I was going to suggest that my right hon. Friend should make some arrangement by which the serving soldier could go to his C.O. and get some sort of coupon to enable him to get a pram at something like a price he could afford to pay. There are many other things in connection with welfare. My hon. and gallant Friend the Member for East Norfolk said there was a vast field here to be worked, and...