§ MR. W. A. MACDONALD (Queen's Co., Ossory)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 331 Whether he was in a position distinctly to state to the House what his intentions were with regard to the Drainage Bills? He might, perhaps, remind the right hon. Gentleman that one of those Bills—that for the drainage of the Barrow—had met with a great deal of approval in that House, and he, for one, was very anxious to see it passed into law.
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.), in reply, said, that his intention was the same as it had always been, to pass them into law as rapidly as possible. He was sorry he could not say that the approval of the Barrow Drainage Bill felt by the hon. Member was shared by his Friends.
§ MR. FLYNN (Cork, N.)asked, what authority the Chief Secretary had for his last statement, that the objection was mainly coming from that side of the House?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURcould only say that the discussion of the Bills had been objected to by hon. Gentlemen on that side of the House.
§ MR. W. A. MACDONALDsaid, he was not responsible for the action of other hon. Members. What he wanted to know from the Chief Secretary was whether he would put down the Bills at such a time as would permit of reasonable discussion?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURsaid, he put them down every day, and they could be reasonably discussed perfectly well after 12 o'clock if the hon. Member and his Friends would abstain from objecting.