REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF HOUSE OF KEYS Douglas, Tuesday, April 25, 1967 Present: The Acting-Speaker (Mr A. Man. We, the hon. Speaker and mem- S. Kelly), Messrs. R. J. G. Anderson, H. bers of the House of Keys upon your D. C. MacLeod, E. N. Crowe, R. E. S. relinquishment of office desire to place Kerruish, Miss J. C. C. Thornton- on record this acknowledgment of the Duesbery, Messrs. P. A. Spittall, W. E. ass stance given and the co-operation Quayle, T. C, Faragher, A. H. Simcocks, you have afforded the House during G. T. Crellin, J. E. Callister, J. A. Moore, T. A. Corkish, E. C. Irving, C. E. Burke, your term as Head of the Civil Service G. V. H. Kneale, G. A. Devereau, R. of this Island, and in expressing this MacDonald, Sir Henry Sugden, K.B.E., tribute to your ability and service to C,B., D.S.O., with Mr T. E. Kermeen, the legislature of this Island, the House Secretary to the House. wish to extend their sincere wish that you may have a long and happy retire- ment." Now that is the address and before I make this formal presentation APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE to Mr Davies I think it would be nice The Acting-Speaker: The Speaker is on my part on behalf of the members coming along nicely, hon. members. He of the House of Keys to say how pleased is resting at the moment but hopes to we are to welcome Mr and Mrs Davies be with us again shortly. Mr Creer has here this morning amongst us for this also asked to be excused. particular ceremony. Mr Davies, of course, has been in this high office for many years, I think it is 13 or 14 years, and during that time of course he has FORMAL PRESENTATION TO MR given a lot of co-operation to every E. R. ST. A. DAVIES, M.B.E., OF member of the legislature, and particu- AN ILLUMINATED ADDRESS. larly those members of the House of Keys, and that is one of the reasons The Acting-Speaker: Hon. members, why we are doing this today. This is the first business we have this morning quite unique, it is out of this world, is a presentation to Mr Davies, former there has nothing like this ever been Government Secretary. As you will see done in the House of Keys to our know- we have Mr and Mrs Davies with us ledge, and we are putting on record, in this morning, and I have this very plea- the wording of the illuminated address, sant duty to perform, Now this is the to say how pleased we have been to illuminated address which states — "To have Mr Davies acting in the capacities Eric Reginald St. Aubrey Davies, Mem- which are already stated here in this ber of the Most Excellent Order of the address. I am sure, Mr Davies, you British Empire, Master of Arts, Justice must ibe very proud today to feel that of the Peace, Clerk of the Council and something has been achieved during Government Secretary of the Isle of your term of office as the Government Apologies for Absence.—Formal Presentation to Mr E. R. St. A. Davies, M.B.E., of an Illuminated Address. 1238 HOUSE OF KEYS, APRIL 25, 1967 Secretary and Head of the Isle. of Man and bitterness and waste of time and Civil Service. You must also be very all kinds of things. I felt we must try proud to have taken part in implement- and do something about this, so the ing many of the big decisions of Gov- staff 02 Government Office and I .have ernment during the last decade, and done our best over the last 13 years to seeing these through to fruition, and I try and oil the works a bit. I know am sure that all the members of the House of Keys, including the hon. there is stilt a lot of grit about but it Speaker who is not with us today, will may not be quite so scratchy as it used wish you a very long term of happiness to be, anyhow I hope not. The real and your dear wife. The picture on this satisfaction I get today is from the particular illuminated address as you feeling that you hon. members have will sae as someone interested in art been so kind in appreciating these and also a Master of Arts, in the des- efforts and this occasion, I think, is evi- cription, and a member of the Arts dence that you have appreciated what Council, you see it is Ballavale with we have, on both sides, tried to do. Mr the lovely rhododendrons and the floral Acting-Speaker, I would like to thank display, and when you look at this, I hon. members here, and the members am sure you will have very happy who have been members of the pre- memories of the days you have spent ceding three houses, for their tremen- in this building and helping all of us. dous kindness to me on all sorts of who have been members of the legisla- occasions, and their courtesy, and I am ture. Wild you come forward Mr Davies sure their forbearance and their and receive this illuminated address ? patience in dealing with a come-over - though he may be a Celt. But it really Mr Davies was escorted by the has bean most enjoyable. I think that I Messengers of the House of Keys to have enjoyed the last few years prob- the Acting-Speaker to receive the ably the most of the 13 years I have ' address. been here because they have been very exciting years, both economically and Mr Davies: Mr Acting-Speaker, hon. politically — I think there have been members, I am indeed extremely grate- tremendous strides — some of you may ful to you all for this presentation, and feel they are strides backwards, 1 don't, to you Mr Acting-Speaker for the very but then that is a matter of opinion. kind things you said this morning to But anyhow they have been most us. I find it a bit difficult to express my exciting years, and politically if I may appreciation for this because I didn't say so — I find myself at some dis- realise first of all that it was the first advantage talking to you experts in time that this kind of thing had ever politics — but politically it seems to me happened, and also I think I can quite that there has been a good deal more honestly say that nothing, nothing at advance than many people really appre- all, could give me greater pleasure or ciate. Political development, I believe, more satisfaction than this occasion is far more important in the little things has today, because when I first came to that happen — the changes of proce- the Island, I sensed when I came to dure, the order in which things are Government Office, I sensed a certain done, even the changes in nomencla- coolness, a certain lack of rapport be- ture, r believe that those are much more tween the members of this House and lasting things than things that are Government Office, and I felt that was written on paper because they anyhow unhappy. I thought it was entirely un- are always at the mercy of the consti- necessary, and I thought it also was tutional lawyers. But the little changes very inefficient. It leads to frustration of procedure — a change in the order • - Formal Presentation to Mr E. R. St. A. Davies, M.B.E., of an illuminated. Address. HOUSE OF KEYS, APRIL 25, 1967 1239 of things becomes a habit, a habit be- set up and we have reported and comes an acknowledged procedure, and understand all members have a copy of an acknowledged procedure becomes that report in their hands. The com- one of these sacrosanct customs of the mittee. I may say, agreed unanimously constitution, about which Mr Anson and with the contents of the Bill as printed others write learned books. Mr Acting- and a-so with, .may I say, a minor Speaker, I would like, if I may, very technical amendment which will be humbly to congratulate this House on brought forward at the appropriate the political achievements that they stage. What I do wish to make quite have made, if I may very, very humbly clear at this stage is that with: the say so, over the last few years. May I exception of one clause, that is clause 2 finally say something about the Civil in which shotguns are specifically Service. The Manx Civil Service is a mentioned, this Bill does not apply to jolly good one. It has got a lot of very the ordinary sporting shotgun. It deals capable, hard-working, loyal, energetic only with firearms and also with shot- officers. Now may I make this plea to guns that have been sawn off. Now the you, hon. members, that you give as definition of afirearm is taken from much opportunity as possible to those the main Act of 1947—"that this part of officers who are anxious and willing to the Act applies to all firearms as defined take responsibility and to use initiative, in section 32 of this Act, except the to do so. After ail, there is not much following weapons and components point in having a dog and doing the thereof and accessories: a smooth-bore barking yourself, particularly when the.