§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Orders of the Day be postponed until after the Notice of Motion relating to the Insurrection in Bosnia and Herzegovina."
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONI understood, Sir, that it was the intention of the right hon. Gentleman to make some statement in regard to the position of Public Business, and I believe it was the general expectation on this side of the House that the statement would have been made on this Motion. I trust, however, that the right hon. Gentleman does intend before we proceed with the debate on Turkish affairs to make some statement respecting the intentions of the Government in the matter.
§ MR. DISRAELII think, Sir, the best statement I can make is to tell the House the order of Business that I contemplate for the present week. To-night we proceed with the discussion on Turkish affairs. To-morrow we propose to take the English, Irish, and Scotch Education Estimates. Wednesday is reserved for the Bill of the hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. R. Smyth). On Thursday we take the Report of the Education Bill. On Friday we shall proceed with the remaining Votes of Supply, which will permit of discussion with respect to the affairs of Egypt and the Suez Canal, and the mission of my right hon. Friend (Mr. Cave); and on Saturday I hope we shall take the third reading of the Education Bill. The House will understand that this arrangement of Business demands on the part of the Government a considerable sacrifice 123 of their other measures. The Prisons Bill is a Bill which I, for one, and I believe a majority of the House, approve. I think it an excellent Bill, and the country will have an opportunity of considering its merits during the Recess. It will, however, take some time to pass, and in the present state of Public Business we cannot hope successfully to proceed with it; but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department wishes to commit the Bill pro formâ, in order that he may introduce into it Amendments of which he has given Notice, so that the Bill may be re-printed, and be in a perfect state, so far as our view of the question is concerned, for future discussion. I am sorry to say also that it will not be possible to proceed with the University Bills, but I trust that they may be proceeded with next Session. If this plan is adopted, I should hope that we might on Monday conclude Supply and pass the Appellate Bill through the stage for which it now stands. I do not know that there is any other announcement that I need make to the House; but if hon. Members should support the Government in these views, I think the Session may end at a period not much more remote than usual.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERwished to know what course the Government were prepared to take in reference to the Cruelty to Animals Bill?
§ MR. DISRAELII am not prepared to give up the chance of passing it.
§ MR. E. J. REEDasked when the Lords' Amendments to the Merchant Shipping Bill would be taken?
§ MR. DISRAELIThat, of course, is in the Order of Business. We have to consider the Amendments of the Lords; I cannot exactly fix the day on which we may do so, but the House cannot be prorogued without the Bill being passed.
§ SIR JOSEPH M'KENNAasked a question as to the Irish Court of Judicature Bill.
§ MR. DISRAELIOn Thursday night I shall be better able to answer the question.
§ MR. FAWCETTsaid, that the right hon. Gentleman had made no allusion whatever to what he must admit to be a question of great importance. He had not even condescended to say whether the Indian Budget would be 124 brought forward at all. As to the University Bills, if a time could be named for disposing of the Orders, he believed certain suggestions might be made which would facilitate legislation next Session.
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONPerhaps the right hon. Gentleman will allow me to put one or two other questions to him, so as to save him the trouble of rising again. The arrangements of the right hon. Gentleman appear to depend upon the assumption that the Turkish debate will terminate this evening. I should be very glad if it were in my power to give any assistance towards the accomplishment of that assumption; but I fear from the information which reaches me it is extremely improbable that it will be possible it should terminate this evening. I would therefore ask the right hon. Gentleman what arrangements he thinks it would be in his power to make, supposing, which is, at all events, possible, that the debate cannot finish to-night. The right hon. Gentleman did not mention any day for the debate on Extradition Treaties, a subject which I understand my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Oxford (Sir William Harcourt) is to have an opportunity of bringing forward. I should like to ask whether it is in the right hon. Gentleman's power to state on what day, according to present arrangements, the Extradition debate will be brought on, and on what day, if necessary, the debate of this evening will be resumed.
§ MR. RAMSAYwished to know whether the Government intended to proceed with the Sheriffs Courts (Scotland) Bill, and the Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Bill?
§ MR. DISRAELISir, with respect to the remarks of the hon. Member for Hackney, I would observe that I did not intend to give a complete programme of the progress of the remaining Business of the Session, but only to fulfil my promise to state the Business of the week, and at the same time to give the House the names of the more important measures which the Government had determined to withdraw from their notice. It is, therefore, as open to the House as it is to the Government to form an opinion as to what may be the progress of the other Business of the House. It is certainly impossible to 125 bring forward the Indian Budget this week, and consequently I did not announce the day on which it might be taken. But I should think no one except the hon. Member for Hackney could for a moment have supposed that Her Majesty's Government would advise the Prorogation of Parliament without giving the House an opportunity of discussing the financial affairs of India. With regard to the inquiry just made by the noble Lord, I have to make the same remark as to the promise I made to give an opportunity for discussing the question of Extradition. It cannot be discussed this week, and therefore I did not give notice of the day on which it might be brought forward. By the statement I have made as to other measures, however, I have enabled the House to form a fair estimate as to the period when the hon. and learned Member for Oxford may have an opportunity of raising the question of Extradition. With regard to the first of the Scotch Bills referred to by the hon. Member for Falkirk (Mr. Ramsay) I understand there is a prospect of passing it without opposition, and therefore I do not wish to withdraw a Bill under those circumstances. With respect to the second Bill he mentioned, I believe it has been already announced that the Government do not intend to proceed with it this Session. There then remains the question of the noble Lord, as to what will become of the debate of this evening if it should be adjourned. I do not wish to contemplate that the debate will be adjourned this evening. I think it might be discussed and concluded to night by sitting to a rather unusual hour. If, however, it should be the wish of the House to adjourn the debate I shall be unable to name an immediate day for its consideration, because we have Business with which we propose to proceed arranged for every day in the present week. Supply and the Education Bill must be proceeded with without loss of time unless the Prorogation should be delayed much later than it would otherwise be. I am unable, therefore, to state what day the adjourned debate—if it should be adjourned—can be resumed, but I will take care that a day is secured for that purpose.
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEinquired what Estimates would be taken on Friday?
§ MR. DISRAELII proposed to proceed with Supply to-morrow.
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEBut Friday.
§ MR. DISRAELIThe Suez Canal.
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEsaid, he presumed the Supplementary Estimates delivered that morning would also be proceeded with on Friday.
§ MR. DISRAELIYes, and Monday.
MR. GATHORNE HARDY, in answer to the question put by the hon. Member for Hackney, stated that he should propose to discharge the Orders of the Day on the University Bills when the Orders were called on.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERThere will be a Morning Sitting to-morrow?
§ MR. DISRAELIYes.
§ Motion agreed, to.
§ Ordered, That the Orders of the Day be postponed until after the Notice of Motion relating to the Insurrection in Bosnia and Herzegovina.