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for many years, at least since i came to this ilouse,
aud even pelore—-we dave never adhered to that
section which makes it compulsory to have plans
submitted to the uegisiature tor any development in
water. In other Words, in aly area that is to be de-
veloped in which water mains must be laid under
the present Act, that has never been done. lor pipes’
that are laid in the various tenantries or along ‘the
highways, no plans for laying these pipes come to
the Legislature although the Act says that; but as |
said, from long before I came ‘to this House in 1944
and since, the only plan that comes, is when you
want to remove a pipe from a certain distance or

rather to a certain distance beyond 22 yards, or if)

the pipes are laid on lands belonging to the Govern-
ment for development, purposes; otherwise no plans
have come to the Legislature and these sections are
more honoured in the breach than in the observance
4.35 p.m.

Therefore, we have found that it is unnecessary
aud. also expensive to have plans drawn up and put
vefore the House from time to time when we are lay-
ing down water mains; and many other sections of
the Act make it necessary to have these amendments.
The Sections are no longer workable in view of the
improvement and the advancement which have been
made from time to time; hence, we feel that the
time has come when the Act must be amended in
order to catch up with modern day practices.

If there are any questions which hon. members
desire to ask, in so far as I am able to answer them,
I will do so. With those few remarks, Mr. Speaker,
I beg to move that this Bill be now read a secona
time.

Hon. C. E. TALMA: I beg to second that.

The question that this Bill be now read a sec-
ond time was put and resolved in the affirmative
without division.

On the motion of Hon. M. E. COX, seconded by
lon, C. E. TALMA, Mr. SPEAKER left the Chair,

and the House went into Committee on the Bill, Mr_

SMITH being in the Chair.

Clause 1 was called and passed.

Clause 2 was called.

Hon. M. E. COX:
2 stand part of the Bill.

Hon. C. E. TALMA: I beg to second that.

Mr. E. D. MOTTLEY: Mr. Chairman, it may
be that I should have waited until we got to Clause
3 of this Bill to say what I want to say, but this
Clause 2 is so bound up with Clause 3, that I will
say what I want to say now. This Section deals with
the inclusion, of motor vehicles in the Act, and I am
wondering whether what is proposed here is the cor.
a thing to be done. Section 3 of the Act says
this :—

““(1) A supply of water for domestic purposes
or for domestic use shall not include a supply of
water for cattle other than domestic stock, or for
horses, or for washing carriages where such horses
or carriages are kept for sale or hire or by a com-
mon carrier, or a supply for any trade, manufacture,
cr business or for watering gardens or for foun-
tains, or for any ornamental purpose.

(2) Domestic stock shall mean stock kept by an
individual for domestic purposes and not for trade,
sale, or agricultural purposes. ’’

Section 2 of this Bill inserts the words ‘‘motor
-vehicle’’ between the definition of the words ‘‘City”’
and ‘‘rate’’ in the Act, and give the words ‘‘motor
vehicle’’ the same definition of ‘‘motor vehicle’? as
set ont in the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act,
3937.. As.the position is now, if that definition goes
in, without any further explanation—well we have
come a long wav from washing carriages and what
not. I should like to point out that 90% of the peo-

I beg to move that Clause

OFFICIAL GAZETTE

JANUARY 17, 1957

 

pie who own motor vehicles, only have domestic taps,
iney have no garden taps, and this amendment is
saying that if you have a domestic tap on. your
premises, and you own a motor vehicle of any sort,
ycu cannot wash it, or you cannot even put water in
the radiator trom that tap. ‘This amendment is
veally bemg put in without giving the matter any
serious thought, and I would urge hon: members to
give it very serious consideration.

It might have been alright in 1895 when you
had carriages, but when this amendment is inserted,
it will affect persons who have domestic taps only.
It will affect such persons who make their living
out of the use of ears, and I say that if you insert
this amendment as it stands, you will leave it wide
open to anybody, not excluding the Police, to say
that you cannot use water at all for washing cars,
although you may not be washing avy car. We have
not reached the stdge where we are using something
other than water, and therefore, I counsel the Hon.
Minister to say whether or not this Section should
not be further defined. This Section might be phrased
in such language as to let it be understood that if
anyone is hailed before a Police Magistrate for using
water from a domestic tap and putting it into the
cooling system of the engine cf a motor car, no offence
has been committed. I hope the Hon. Minister will be
able to clear up that point.

Hon. M. E. COX: The hon. member has not
got the point. We are not saying that you cannot
use water in any car, we are saying that you can-
not use the water for washing ears. I think the hon.
member should know that the large garages carry me-
ters in respect of the water with which they wash
their cars and buses. We are not saying that you
cannot wash your car, we are saying that you cannot
‘wash it from the domestic tap; we are saying that in
order to wash cars, you must have a water meter.
We are saying that you should not wash _ horses.
which are used for freighting, and so on, from your
domestic tap, but you can wash them from your tap.
which carries a meter. That is all we are saying.

Mr. E. D. MOTTLEY: When I am _ dealing
with legislation and passing it, I am not thinking of
any big garage. You have four or five big garages.
If the Hon. Minister will read the Act, he will see
the words I have already read out. It says this :—

‘“‘A supply of water for domestic purposes or for
domestic use shall not include a supply of water
for cattle other than domestic stock, or for horses,
or for washing carriages where such horses or car-
riages are kept for sale or hire or by a common, car-
rier,’’

What I am telling the Hon. Minister is this: we:
know that the big garages have meters, and it will
hardly be necessary for them to use their domestic
taps for washing cars. You are really enacting some-
thing in respect of which we know that 90% of the
people who keep ears for hire are people who would
only have a domestic tap, and you are therefore en-
acting a farce and exposing people to the danger of
being prosecuted for using this water for the purpose
of washing cars.

4.45 p.m.

The question really is not a question of big
garages at all. This is a question that after you
have enacted this law and put in motor vehicles, it is
going to affect not only the people who own big
garages for whom you are legislating but also the
people who own only a car or so. The ereat majority
of people who own cars use water from domestic taps
to wash them. As a matter of fact, to the majority
of them there is no other means. Mr. Chairman, how
many people do you know who use motor ears who
will be able to put in a water meter? It is not like in