South African War-cont.

Scheepers, Com., Trial of-Delay in Circu-
lation of Evidence.

Rt. Hon. W. C. Gully.
Adjournment of the House

.

Motion for Adjournment of the Debate
owing to the lateness of the hour
-The question whether the dis-
cus-ion should be continued or
not having already been decided
by a division of the House, Mr.
Speaker was of opinion that the
Motion was an abuse of the Rules
of the House and he declined to
put the Question, Apr. 29, 318
Motion for Adjournment under Stand-
ing Order XVII.-Scottish Private
Bill Procedure, Local Inquiries—
The Motion would not have been
admitted on the ground that it
was to be argued on the merits of
the Question whether a particular
case ought to have been tried in
Edinburgh or Aberdeen-It was
only admitted on the ground that
the Secretary for Scotland was
alleged to be introducing a new
practice contrary to the tenour of
the Statute, Apr. 29, 178.
Nationalist cries of "No!"-Mr.
Speaker declined to take any
notice of the cries, and announced
that the House stood adjourned,
Apr. 29, 332.

Parliamentary Procedure, New Rules,
see that sub-heading.

Amendments

Amendment moved by the Member
did not touch the case which he
wished to meet Occasions on
which Supply Business could go
on after midnight, May 2, 578.
Amendipents ruled out of Order

Additional Estimate for new

service or matter-The House
had already decided that new
matter, as distinct from new
service, should not be ex-
cluded from the allotted days,
Apr. 28, 82.

Amendment proposing to suspend
operation of Resolution under
discussion, Apr. 28, 84.

Vote on Account, Debate on-
The House had already
decided that no debate should
go beyond the one day, and
in view of that decision the
Question ought not to be
again raised, Apr. 28, 56, 57.

Business of the House

Arrangement of The Government

had the right to arrange their
Business as they chose-They put
down first the adjourned debate
on the proposed New Standing
Order, and then it was intimated
that the further proposals appear
on a separate Paper. There
would be found a series of
Motions to come on next, Apr
28, 52.

· [cont.

Speaker-cont.

Business of House-cont.

or move

the At

Business appointed to stand over to a particular day. -- Members could not, after twelve o'clock, either take a division substitution of another day. present, the Standing Order provided that in case of any difference of opinion the Question should be decided according to the preponderance of voices, May 2, 589. Challenging the Speaker's Ruling-Mr. Mooney's Motion to review Ruling of March 20th [Suspension of Mr. Dillon] May 7, 1020.

Personal Explanation by the Speaker, 1027.

Chairman of Committees of Ways and Means acted as a Partisan under the present system-If the Member implied that the Chairman acted as a Partisan of the Government, he was not in order in making that Statement, May 1, 511.

Divisions

Effect of a Division when a Quorum

of the House was not presentThe Speaker believed that the Division would be operative although the number of Members was less than forty, but he had never known a case of less than forty members voting; therefore he did not speak from personal experience-The opinion of several Members of long Parliamentary experience differing from that of the Speaker, he accepted the authority of the Father of the House, and ruled that a Question could not be decided by less than forty votes, May 1, 526, 528. Notice of Division to members at

tending the House of Lords, the
Member had received no intima-
tou and claimed to have his vote
recorded. The Speaker thought
that he himself had received an
intimation in past years, but the
Tellers were at the Table and the
Vote could not be recorded.
strict duty of a Member was to
attend in the House of which he
was a Member; attending the
House of Lords was a luxury,
May 2, 583, 584, 587.

The

Hearing for a Member-The Member had obtained, by the process open to him, under Standing Orders, the right of addressing the House, and Mr. Speaker trusted that he would be accorded a hearing, Apr. 29, 175.

Irrelevant Observations, Apr. 28, 62, 127,

128; Apr. 29, 193, 195, 196, 204, 249, 276, 293, 295, 296; May 1, 499, 508; May 9, 1262.

Personal Explanation by a Member

The Members' Remarks were hardly relevant to the Question before the House, but it was not intended to prevent him making a personal explanation with regard to what took place earlier in the day, May 1, 499.

Speaker-cont.

[Spe-Spe

Parliamentary Procedure, New Rules Adjournment of the House-Motions for Adjournment under Standing Order XVII. Amendment limiting the operation of the Rule to cases where there had not been more than three Motions for Adjournment during the Session-On this Amendment the Member could practically discuss the importance of not limiting the right to an afternoon sitting, Apr. 29, 318. Amendment when moved, could of course be discussed-This a very mall Amendment, and could only be discussed as far as it went. It

was

was really put in as a consequential Amendment, Apr. 29, 302.

Discussion was permitted on the

point whether the words "on the Notice Paper" should be omitted for the purpose of putting in "allowed to be asked at the Commencement of business at the afternoon sitting," Apr. 29, 301. General Discussion on Standing Order. Discussion of the whole Standing Order was not in order upon an Amendment, Apr. 28, 112.

the whole

No General Discussion had taken place on a series of Amendments to an existing Standing Order, but where there has been a new Standing Order proposed there had been a general discussion. Where there was only an Amendment to an existing Standing Order, the discussion must be confined to that Amendment, Apr. 29, 301.

a

Point of Order, Question whether General Discussion at the end of Amendments was not practically a Discussion on Question already decided by the House, and therefore of an entirely different character from discussion before Amendments-The Member's Question was not on a Point of Order, Apr. 28, 106.

Standing Order proposed might be discussed at length, either before the Amendments were moved or after they were disposed of; but as soon as any Member moved Amendment, the discussion was confined to that Amendment, Apr. 28, 105.

[cont.

an

Speaker-cont.

Parliamentary Procedure- New Rules

84

cont.

Speaker-cont.

Parliamentary Procedure New Rules

cont.

Questions-cont.

Importance of Questions, Method of deciding-This line of argument was not in Order upon an Amendment proposing precedence on the following day for Questions left unanswered on the previous day, Apr. 29, 231. Private Business, Position of-If the Amendment were rejected Private Business would be deposed altogether from the position it occupied, Apr. 28, 129.

Second Paragraph was under discussion-The Member was proceeding to discuss the working of the first paragraph which had been passed over long ago, Apr. 29, 256.

Time Limit necessitated arrangement of Questions-The Member was in order in making the statement, but he was not in order in discussing the merits of the provision, Apr. 29, 204.

Supply Business-"On a day so allotted no business other than the business of Supply shall be taken before midnight" -"Business" would seem to include all kinds of business, May 1, 508, 510.

Personalities-Deceived the Public. The