§ SIR W. HARCOURT (Derby)I wish to make a suggestion to the Chief Secretary for Ireland as to the Amendment which the right hon. Gentleman said he was prepared to move the other night. It would have facilitated matters if, as we all expected, we had been able to see the Amendment on the Paper. I would suggest that before going on with the clause we should be in possession of the terms of the right hon. Gentleman's Amendment.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe right hon. Gentleman is quite right in saying that I made certain proposals on Tuesday night with the view of facilitating the progress of this Bill, and, of course, had I been informed that those proposals would have the effect we intended of determining the differences which have arisen on the subject, I should be perfectly ready to put them on the Paper. But I received no assurance of the kind, and therefore I did not embody those proposals in a formal Amendment. At the same time, I may remind the House that the proposals were of a very precise character, and that I stated them in a form which could leave no doubt on the mind of any hon. Gentleman who had heard them. The Amendment would be at once read to the House, and stated to the House, if I received the assurance that the proposals would be accepted in the spirit in which they were made.
§ MR. SEXTONI must say I thought my hon. Friends assented to the right hon. Gentleman's offer.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe proceedings in Committee were extremely rapid the other evening, and were compressed in the five minutes before the compulsory closing of business at 12 o'clock. I made a proposal with regard to appeal, and another with regard to the date of the intervention of the Commissioners of 1881 in purchase work hitherto committed to the Commissioners of 1885. The hon. Member for West Belfast proposed an additional alteration, to the effect that those Commissioners should be placed exactly on an equality with regard to fair rent and purchase, but the date of the amalgamation should be 168 deferred to a period about which the Committee came to no final agreement. The limit of date was suggested by me at a time when it was not contemplated that there should be a perfect equality. If, however, there is to be a perfect equality, it appears to me that there is no longer any ground for introducing a limitation of time.
§ MR. SEXTONDoes the right hon. Gentleman object to the main contention that the Fair Rent Commissioners cannot be allowed to enter the Purchase Department until they have cleared off their arrears?
§ SIR W. HARCOURTI do not think we can go on discussing the clause in this manner. I want to ask the Chief Secretary if he will embody his proposal in the form of an Amendment on the clause, otherwise the House will continuo to waste time by debating these points, which are not fully understood.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not know whether I should be in order in answering that question by putting another to the right hon. Gentleman. Supposing I were to put an Amendment on the Paper which would give the Fair Rent Commissioners of 1881 a full title to interfere with the business of the Purchase Commissioners of 1885, and for the latter to interfere with the Fair Rent Commissioners, would that satisfy the right hon. Gentleman as well as hon. Members below the Gangway?
§ SIR W. HARCOURTI should be quite satisfied as far as that part of the clause goes. We were under the impression that the Amendment would be seen on the Paper. When we have seen those proposals, no doubt we shall be prepared to accept them in the spirit in which they are offered. I shall be quite satisfied if the understanding arrived at on Tuesday night be carried out.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThen I will now read to the House the Amendment I propose to put on the Paper. It is to the effect that the Land Purchase Commissioners appointed under the Act of 1885 shall have the same jurisdiction as if they had been appointed under the Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1881, notwithstanding that no order may have been made by the Lord Lieutenant under Section 17 of the Act of 1885.