§ MR. W. H. SMITHasked the President of the Board of Trade, If in future, on the introduction of any Provisional Order Bill, he will cause to be circulated with the Votes a short abstract of the powers intended to be conferred by the Bill?
§ MR. CHAMBERLAINsaid, he had carefully considered the right hon. Gentleman's suggestion, but was afraid he could not do precisely what was asked. If the "short abstract" to which the right hon. Gentleman referred was to be a complete abstract, and set forth all the powers which Provisional Orders sought to confer, it would be nearly as bulky as the Bills themselves. If, on the other hand, the Board of Trade were to make a selection of the principal powers sought to be conferred, it would be a very invidious duty, which could hardly be satisfactorily performed. He might, however, point out that this year the Provisional Order Bills were more than usually bulky, owing to the Electric Lighting Bills; but he hoped that another year he might be able to pass a Consolidation Bill, which would take out of these Provisional Orders the greater part of their substance, and then there would only remain the special clauses, to which they could affix a table of contents, which would attain the right hon. Gentleman's object.