The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-26 00:00:00

SMOKE PROHIBITION BILL.

The House then went into Committee on the Smoke
Prohibition Bill on the motion of the Earl of LINCOLN.
On the Ist clause being put,
Mr. HAWES said that he should certainly object to
this clause, for he did not see that there was any suffi-
cient security for carrying out the provisions of the Bill.
The Earl of LINCOLN trusted that the Hon. Gen-
tleman would not persevere in his opposition to the clause,
for he thought that there was a sufficient security for
the Bill being carried out. The machinery of Commis-
sioners was totally unnecessary for carrying out its pro-
visions, for the Bill itself would be its own security.
The clause then passed.
On clause 2 being proposed,
Mr. P. BORTHWICK opposed the clause, on the
ground tbat there was not sufficient provision for en-
forcing the regulations of the Bill.
The Earl of LINCOLN said that hie attention had
not been brought to this point until this morning, and
he thought that some clause might be introduced for
giving the town council of boroughs power to assess
the rates. Justices for the county had certainly a right
to interfere with the rates, but town justices had not.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL thought that the words
of the Act were puite sufficient for the purpose, espe-
cially as the term smoke appeared to be well defined.
The Earl of LINCOLN said that the term smoke he
apprehended to mean the dark vapour which issued from
the chimney of the manufactory, and he thought that
ine one 3.oqualtitotrivith t 8 lab-eTurilOf the Select toin-
mittee upstairs would have no difilculty in coining to a
decision.

After a conversation, in which Mr. Mackinnon, Mr.
Hawes, Mr. Spooner, and Mr. I3orthwick took part,
Mr. WILLIAMS said that a friend of his, who was
most certainly the largest manufacturer in England, had
erected an apparatus for 38s. which had completely ob-
viated all the nuisance.
Mr. RICARDO said, that so far as his experience
went, the attempt to obviate the evil had been perfectly
useless, and he thought that before the House called
upon any manufacturer to abate the nuisance, they ought
to provide a means by which the evil might be reduced.
Mr. WILLIAMS said that the manufacturer of whom
he had spoken had saved several hundred pounds a year
at the cost of 385., and had completely abated the evil
from every portion of his manufactory.
Mr. MACKINNON thought that it would be quite
useless to lay down any plan for reducing the evil. The
circumstances of every manufactory were different from
every other. All they wanted was to know what it was
that they had to guard. against.
The Earl of LINCOLN said that he should wish to
introduce by amendment that the work smoke should,
in every instance, be taken to mean dash smoke, and not
gas or vapour.
The clause then passed.
A long discussion then arose on the provisions of the
second clause, in which Lord Newry, Mr. llawes, Mr.
P. Borthwick, Mr. Villiers, and Mr. Ricardo
joined.
Mr. PROTHEROE contended that the lion. Member
for Wolverhampton was wrong in supposing that smoke
was not injurious. He (Mr. Protheroe) contended that it
was not only injurious, but extremely inconvenient to
the inhabitants of those houses in whose vicinity it was
emitted.
Mr. J. 11. VIVIAN proposed, as an amendment, that
the resolution contained m the interpretation clause be
confined to steam-engines connected with mineral

mines.
After a few observations from Mr. Vivian and Mr.
Buller, the House divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment 2
Against it 44
Majority against it —42
The Timis? then divided on the amendment proposed
by Mr. Villiers, when there appeared_
For the amendment
Against it 4O
Majority --33
After a few words from Mr. M'KINNoN and Mr.
VILLIERS,
Sir J. G:ZAIIAM said, that he had very great
doubts as to the policy of those amendments. The
subject had been referred, by distinct agreement, to
a Select Committee, and he, therefore, would give his
decided opposition to anything that militated against
the opinion which they had come to, in reference to
stationary engines.
Mr. WILLIAMS thought that the lion. Member
for Stoke-upon-Trent should not, after the evidence
which had been given, press the adoption of his views.
After u few words from Mr. WARBURTON and Mr.
APKINNON,

Mr. BROTHERTON said that a petition had been
presented by his own constituents against the amend-
ments of the Hon. Member fur Wolverhampton. He
thought by adopting the measure it would be in no. way_
injurious to the manufactories of the country.
Mr. RICARDO said that he gave the geMIP.III4II
great credit for his perseverance e"

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