§ Order for Committee read.
§ LORD J. MANNERSthought it would be for the convenience of the House that he should state the course which he intended to pursue with reference to this measure. He did not propose to make any statement on the present position of the Bill, but he agreed with his noble Friend who had hitherto taken charge of the measure, and who had announced his intentions publicly, though not as yet to that House, that the framework of the proposition brought forward by Her Majesty's Ministers was more likely to produce a beneficial result than the framework of the measure which he and his noble Friend had introduced. Thus far he agreed with his noble Friend, and he was prepared to accept, with him, the machinery by which Her Majesty's Government proposed to carry out the object they had in view. But beyond that his concurrence with his noble Friend did not go, and therefore, on the bringing up of the report, he would move that "half-past five" be substituted for "six o'clock" in the evening—an alteration which, in point of fact, would make the proposal of the Government an effective Ten Hours Bill. He would say no more than that he conceived the honour of that House and the rights of the people were concerned in passing an effective Ten Hours Bill.
§ MR. AGLIONBYappealed to the right hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary whether they might not go into Committee that night, pro formâ, and take the discussion of the clause proposed by the Government on the report?
§ SIR G. GREYsaid, the Bill was not under his charge; and, as the noble Lord the Member for Bath had gone away after expressing a wish that it should be left over till Monday, he did not think they would be justified in taking it up.
§ Committee deferred till Monday next.