Parker, Gilbert Plummer, Walter R. Royds, Clement Molyneux Sackville, Col. S. G. Stopford- Vincent, Col. SirCEH (Sheffield Sharpe, William Edward T. Strutt, Hon. Charles Hedley NOES. | Ffrench, Peter Grey, Sir Edward (Berwick) Jones, David Brynmor(Swansea Kearley, Hudson E. | TELLERS FOR THE AYES- M'Crae, George | M'Killop, W. (Sligo, North) Nannetti, Joseph P. O'Kelly, Conor (Mayo, N.) Palmer, George Wm. (Reading) Kinloch, Sir John George Smyth Rea, Russell Reddy, M. Redmond, John E. (Waterford) Roberts, John H. (Denbighs.) Schwann, Charles E. Spencer, Rt Hn C. R. (Northants Thomas, Abel (Carmarthen, E.) Warner, Thomas Courtenay T. | Williams, Osmond (Merioneth) Young, Samuel Yoxall, James Henry TELLERS FOR THE NOESMr. Channing and Mr. Edward Morton. (5.48.) MR. GIBSON BOWLES said that he thought there was very considerable substance in the Amendment he now intended to move. It was quite conceivable that only eighteen or nineteen days would be allotted to Supply. The limit was a superior limit, and there was no minimum limit. The words he proposed to add appeared in the sessional Order, and he could not understand why they had been omitted from the proposed Rule. He thought the intention was that the automatic closure should only come into operation where the twenty allotted days had been exhausted; without the words he proposed it seemed to him that the Government would be able, after sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen days had been allotted to Supply, to bring the automatic closure into force. In fact, it would come into force automatically. He did not think that that was the intention of his right hon. friend. He thought his intention was to give at least twenty days; and his right hon. friend, with his experience, must know that hitherto it had always been found. necessary to give the three additional days also. He could not see any objection to his Amendment; the words had always been in the sessional Order, and their omission might have been acci dental. Amendment proposed "In line 45, after the word 'day,' to insert the words 'not being earlier than the twentieth of the allotted days.'”—(Mr. Gibson Bowles.) Question proposed, "That those words be there inserted." MR. A. J. BALFOUR: I am not quite sure that I perfectly apprehend what would be the result of my hon. friend's Motion; but perhaps he will correct me if I am wrong. As I understand it, he wishes to make it obligatory to take twenty days for Supply. MR. GIBSON BOWLES said that his right hon. friend might take any number of days he liked, but if he took less than twenty, the automatic closure was not, in that case, to come into operation. That was the intention of the words as they stood in the sessional Order. MR. A. J. BALFOUR: I should have thought my hon. friend's Amendment was not necessary, because, of course, if the Government finished Supply in eighteen days there would be no question of automatic closure. As the limit would not be reached, the Amendment would not meet that case. The only case view is the Government not giving twenty I can conceive my hon. friend having in days, and trying to closure after eighteen I confess I should have thought it an days. That would be a gross abuse, and impossible point of view to take. not, however, see any objection to the Amendment. I do MR. BLAKE (Longford, S.) said it was, In this matter, Ministers, no matter to clear that the allotment was a maximum, which side of the House they belonged, and that fewer days might be allotted. were always apt to consider Motions to The "last allotted day" would be the last be dilatory which were not so intended of the allotted days. by those who initiated them, and which were only initiated to attain some useful object. Both these opportunities of discussing important matters were to be swept away. He could conceive no reason why the Government should resist this Amendment, for the Rule would be just as beneficial to the Government without these words as with them. He begged leave to move to omit the words. MR. GIBSON BOWLES said he would like to move the Amendment in the words as they appeared in the sessional Order, viz.. to omit the words "allotted day" in order to insert " not being earlier than the twentieth of the allotted days." MR. A. J. PALFOUR: I shall not oppose the Amendment. The Amendment, as originally proposed, was, by leave, withdrawn, and the following Amendment made “In line 45, by leaving out the words 'allotted day, and inserting the words not being earlier than the twentieth of the allotted days."" (5.50.) MR. CLANCY (Dublin Co., N.) moved the omission of lines 53 to 56, as being now unnecessary. The paragraph anticipated that a Motion for the adjournment, or a dilatory Motion, might be made on the days appointed to conclude the business of Supply. He confessed he could not understand the object of the Government in introducing that paragraph. Why the anxiety of the Government to preserve those last two days should be so great he could not imagine. The hon. Member for King's Lynn drew a distinction between a Motion for the adjournment and a dilatory Motion. Perhaps there was some distinction, and he had no doubt the hon. Gentleman would be able to explain it. The Government had nothing to gain by retaining the paragraph he proposed to omit, because they would get their Supply at ten o'clock, even if the entire sitting up a a to that hour had been devoted to Motion for the adjournment or to dilatory Motion. On the other hand, it would easily be understood that on the very morning of either of the last two days a great public emergency might arise, in which hon. Members on both sides were interested; and it would be i ridiculous if hon. Members were prevented, by a Rule of the House, from discussing it for even five minutes. Amendment proposed "In line 53 to leave out from the words. 'On the' to the word business,' in line 56, both inclusive.'"-(Mr. Clancy.) Question proposed, "That the words On the days appointed for concluding the business of Supply' stand part of the Question." MR. A. A. J. BALFOUR: The words which the hon. Gentleman proposes to leave out were not introduced to facilitate Government business, but simply to meet what were thought to be the general views of the House, and I still think that they carry out a useful object. It would be extremely inconvenient that the last remaining hours of Supply should be interrupted by a Motion for the adjournment. Under the arrangement embodied in another of these new Rules, such a Motion would not come on till nine o'clock, and could only last for an hour, between nine and ten in the evening, and could not serve any useful object. I, therefore. hope the hon. Member will not press his Amendment. MR. GIBSON BOWLES asked for some explanation of the observation that the Motion for the adjournment of the House could only last from nine o'clock till ten. Mr. A. J. BALFOUR: On these particular nights. The closure is at ten, the Motion for the adjournment is made and assented to at three, and comes on at nine. MR. GIBSON BOWLES said he thought it was reasonable that on these last days business should not be interrupted by a dilatory Motion. He had an Amend ment himself a little lower down, which he hoped would be accepted; if it was not accepted, he thought some explanation should be given of the reason why it was not. He was rather of opinion, with regard to this Amendment, that the Government were entitled to have the last two days without interruption. MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.) hoped his this. If some question of great public interest arose on the last day of Supply, he did not see why the House should not have its choice between discussing a Motion for the adjournment and discussing Supply. (6.15) Question put.. The House divided: - Ayes, 250; hon. friend would go to a division upon Noes, 138. (Division List No. 139.) Acland-Hood, Capt. Sir Alex F. Balfour, Rt. Hon. A. J. (Manch'r Blundell, Colonel Henry Brown, Alexander H. (Shropsh. AYES. Dalkeith, Earl of Douglas, Rt. Hon. A. Akers- Finlay, Sir Robert Bannatyne Gibbs, Hn. A. G. H. (City of Lond. Cochrane, Hon. Thos. H. A. E. Hamilton, Marq.of (L'nd'nderry Coddington, Sir William | Hobhouse, Henry (Somerset, E.) Hogg, Lindsay Hope,J. F.(Sheffield, Brightside) Horner, Frederick William Houldsworth, Sir Wm. Henry Hoult, Joseph Houston, Robert Paterson Howard, John (Kent, Faversham Hozier, Hon. Jaines Henry Cecil Hudson, George Bickersteth Hutton, John (Yorks, N. R.) Jackson, Rt. Hon. Wm. Lawies Johnston, William (Belfast) Kennaway, Rt. Hon. Sir. John H. Kenyon-Slaney, Col. W. (Salop Keswick, William Kimber, Henry King, Sir Henry Seymour Kitson, Sir James Knowles, Lees Laurie, Lieut.-General Law, Andrew Bonar (Glasgow) Lawson, John Grant Lecky, Rt Hon William Edw. H. Lee, ArthurH. (Hants, Fareham Lees, Sir Elliott (Birkenhead) Legge, Col. Hon. Heneage Leveson-Gower, Frederick N.S. Llewellyn, Evan Henry Loder, Gerald Walter Erskine Long, Col. Charles W. (Evesham Long, Rt Hn Walter (Bristol, S.) Lonsdale, John Brownlee Lucas, Col. Francis(Lowestoft) Lucas, ReginaldJ. (Portsmouth) Lyttelton, Hon. Alfred Macartney, Rt. HnW.G. Ellison Macdona, John Cumming M'Calmont, Col. J. (Antrim, E.) Malcolm, Ian Manners, Lord Cecil Harmsworth. R. Leicester Muntz, Philip A. Plummer, Walter R. Round, James Sharpe, William Edward T. Strutt, Hon. Charles Hedley NOES. Tufnell, Lieut.-Col. Edward TELLERS FOR Abraham, William (Cork, N.E.) | Foster, Sir Walter (Derby Co.) Morgan, J. Lloyd (Carmarthen Asher, Alexander Ashton, Thomas Gair Fuller, J. M. F. Gilhooly, James Grant, Corrie Goddard, Daniel Ford Griffith, Ellis J. Gurdon, Sir W. Brampton Leese, Sir Joseph F. (Accrington Lewis, John Herbert MacDonnell, Dr. Mark A. M'Killop, W. (Sligo, North) Murphy, John Nannetti, Joseph P. Nolan, Joseph (Louth, South) O'Kelly, James (Roscommon,N. Redmond, John E. (Waterford) Roberts, John Bryn (Eifion) Schwann, Charles E. Scott, Chas. Prestwich (Leigh) Shaw, Charles Edw. (Stafford) Shaw, Thomas (Hawick B.) Soames, Arthur Wellesley Soares, Ernest J. Sullivan, Donal Thomas, Abel (Carmarthen, E. Thomas, Alfred (Glamorgan, E.) Thomas, F. Freeman- (Hastings) Thomson, F. W. (York, W. R.) Trevelyan, Charles Philips Warner, Thomas Courtenay T. |