§ MR. JAMES MACLEAN (Oldham)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, If it is the intention of the Government to proceed this Session with the appointment of a Committee to inquire into the administration of British India?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. E. GLADSTONE) (Edinburgh, Mid Lothian)The hon. Member is aware that the Motion is blocked, and I do not know whether the noble Lord will be good enough to remove the block.
§ LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL (Paddington, S.)Certainly not.
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEI am very sorry to hear that. Then, Sir, there is only one course I can take. I do not think it is quite respectful that the matter should be handed on from week to week; but, on the other hand, it would be very difficult to stop the debate on the second reading of the Irish Government Bill; so that I think the best course we can take is, that on Thursday I will put down the Order for the Indian Committee as the second Government Order, in the hope that we may 1162 very probably, as often happens, close the debate before half-past 12 o'clock.
§ LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILLHas the attention of the First Lord of the Treasury been drawn to the fact that all the Conservative Members of the Committee, with the exception of one, have withdrawn their names from the proposal to serve on the Committee, which raises the question whether the Order remains in the same form?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEThat I think is very unfortunate indeed; but I hope if those Members have withdrawn others may be found to fill their places.
§ Afterwards,
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEsaid: I find the Order cannot be put down before Monday, as it stands for that day; but on that day I propose to place it in such a position that we may have a good prospect, I hope, of getting to it. And with respect to the composition of the Committee, I think the time for considering that will be when the House has considered and determined what the number of the Committee shall be.