The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-25 00:00:00

REPEAL.

Mr. WILLIAM FOWLER, at twenty minutes past seven,
was about to move for leave to bring in a bill to repeal
the Contagious Diseases Acts, when
Mr. CRAWFORD called the attention of the Speaker to

the presence of strangers.
The result was that the occupiers of the strangers' gal-
lery, the ladies, and the reporters had to withdraw. The
discussion was conducted with closed doors until a quarter
past eleven, when the debate was adjourned.
HORSE RACING.

Mr. T. HUGHES moved for leave to bring in a bill t o
amend the laws relating to horse racing. In speaking of
the evils of horse racing he alluded to the melancholy
results of turf betting, pointing to the cases of bank-
ruptcy which had occurred merely from speculation on
horses. He said, too, that he had witnessed the rise of
many illiterate men to fortune simply through good luck
in regard to horse racing. He called the attention of the
House to the fact that he had received many anon ylnous
letters, abusing him for the notice-which he had given,
and remarked that turf betting had degenerated into a
trade. The state of things had become so bad
that it was high time something should' be done
unless the matter was to become hopeless. It
appeared to him that it was impossible any longer to rely
upon the Jockey Club, although he quite admitted that
they still believed that they had the power to set all
things right. The bill, which he asked leave to read a
first time, in the first place proposed to abolish
two year old racing, and in the second place
to return to the state of the law as it stood
before the year 1833. He also proposed
to introduce into the !bill a clause providing
that any person who took a deposit of money for the pur-
pose of a bet on the understanding or contract that some-
thing was to be returned on a certain event turning out
one way or anot her, should b e amenable to the penal-
ties of the Betting Act; that was to say he should be fined
the sum of £3O, a third going to the poor of the parish
where the act was committed and two-thirds to the per-
son who prosecuted the offender.
Sir H. HOARE seconded the motion. He spoke against
the immorality and evils arising from betting.
In the course of the discussion Viscount ROYSTON as-

serted that the House bad no right to legislate on such
a subject. His opinion was that the bill would do no
good. He argued that they could not put a stop to
betting, because it was a contract, a matter of honourable
feeling, which the law could not control. The members of
the Jockey Club, he said, were wiling to do all they could
to put a stop to what was called the Abuse of the turf.
The House had never yet interfered with questions of pub-
lie sport.
Air. BERNAL OSBORNE thought that the House was
totally incompetent to deal with the subject of two-year-
old racing. It would be a work of supererogation to bring in
a bill. It would be printed at the expense of the public,
and they would hear no more about it. He thought they
might leave the matter to the Jockey Club to legislate
upon. He would like to know what the Government in-
tended to do.
Mr. BRUCE thought there was great good sense in what
the last speaker had said with reference to two-year-olds.
That matter, he thought, might be left to the Jockey
Club. With respect to betting he should be glad, on the
part of the Government, to put down betting trans-
actions,
Mr, HUGHES said that if the Home Secretary had in
the Bill he was going to introduce provided for the subjects
which he embraced in his bill he should not have pressed
it.
At a quarter to one the house divided on the motion,
with the following result :—Ayes, 132 ; noes, 44.
KENSINGTON-ROAD IMPROVEMENT BILL.
Mr. AYRTON nominated the following select committee
on the Kensington-road Improvement Bill :.-414r. Charles
Howard, Sir Rainald Knightley4 Mr, Potter
Sir Frederick Heygate, and MT. Ayrton.
Sir H. HOARE moved that the order for the appoint-
ment of the committee be discharged, and remarked that
the bill contained a novel principle.
Mr. LOCKE complained of the contemplated removal of
the forty-eight trees, and urged the First Commissioner
of Works to ask an adequate sum if they gave up a por-
tion of Hyde Park, in the same way as the Metropolitan
Board of Works had to pay £30,000 for building the em-
bankment on a portion of the foreshore which they had
reclaimed.
Mr. CUBITT complained that the Government had not
laid their plans fully before the House.
Mr. BRUCE on the part of the Government, undertook
to give the House the fullest information as, to the plans,
The names of the chosen by Mr. Ayrton were
a sufficient guarantee that the inquiry would be an impar-
tial one.
'-
Mr. SamtnlA said the ground which was to be given for
£2,000 was worth '21.00,000. Re objected to the composi-
tion of the committee.
On a division the order was discharged.
MARRIED WOMEN'S PROPERTY BILL.
At five minutes to two the House went into committee
cp. the Married Women's Property Bill, and with the ex-
ception of one, 'vhich was omitted, the clauses were agreed
to.
The House adjourned at two o'clock.