§ Mr. LANSBURYMay I ask the Lord President of the Council what will be the business for next week, and also if he can make a statement with regard to the progress of Government business?
§ Mr. BALDWINOn Monday, Coal Mines Bill, Second Reading.
§ Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: The remaining stages of the same Bill.
§ Friday: Town and Country Planning Bill, Report stage.
§ On any day, if time permits, other Orders will be taken.
§ With regard to the right hon. Gentleman's second question, conversations have taken place through the usual channels with a view to meeting what I think was the general wish of the Committee last night, as expressed across the Floor, that the Committee stage of the Finance Bill should be brought to a close at this day's sitting. The remainder of the Amendments and the new Clauses have been carefully considered and, subject to any decision that may be given by the Chair, the following progress is thought to be practicable and reasonable: Clause 24, the Land Values Clause, and the remaining Clauses of the Bill to be concluded by 6 o'clock. Then consideration of the new Clauses will be entered upon, and it is thought that the Committee might reasonably be expected to get to the Debate on the new Clause relating to the Beer Duty not later than a quarter before Ten. The Division on the new Clause will be taken at a quarter before Twelve, and it seems reasonable to expect that the remaining new Clauses and Schedules can be disposed of without sitting unduly late. This is an attempt to arrange business by the common sense of the united House without recourse to the Closure or Guillotine.
§ Mr. LANSBURYI should like to say on that that we on our part will do our very best to carry out this arrangement, and we shall rely on good will and the restriction of eloquence in other parts of the House. In regard to the business for next week, I think the Government do not determine when the. Chairman of Committees shall put down Private Bills. The Chairman announced to-day that he would propose to put down the County Council Bill on Wednesday. It would be very unfor- 554 tunate if any time allotted to the Coal Mines Bill was to be taken in that way and, if it is possible—and I think that in all probability it is—for the Government to have conversations with the Chairman of Committees, they might save time for the Coal Mines Bill. The only other thing I want to put to the right hon. Gentleman is that I am not at all sure that the Report stage of the Town and Country Planning Bill will be got through on Friday. We have a good many Amendments that we want to move.
§ Mr. BALDWINWith regard to the right hon. Gentleman's first observation, of course we are entirely in the hands of the House, and there will be no accusations of bad faith, whatever happens. With regard to the second part, I think, after having considered the Bill myself, and with the knowledge that one evening may be taken up, the House will find it to be sufficient time, but I shall, of course, be perfectly willing for any conversations on the subject to take place after the Bill has been seen. I was perhaps not quite clear about Friday. It is designed to start the Report stage of the Town and Country Planning Bill.
§ Mr. MAXTONWith regard to the agreement that has been come to between the Government and the Opposition, we on these benches see no particular objection to it, but the older Members of the House will appreciate that a very small party can be very disagreeable. The point I wish to ask the Leader of the House is this. There are on the Order Paper two Motions for which no date has been fixed, one by supporters of the Government, dealing with Mr. Justice McCardie and Lord Justice Scrutton—that is by the back bench supporters of the Government—and one by my hon. Friends and myself demanding the recall of the Governor of New South Wales because of his actions there against Mr. Lang and his Government. [Laughter.] The things which strike this House as humorous always interest me. Having regard to the fact that private Members have been deprived of practically all their normal rights in this particular Parliament, would the right hon. Gentleman consider making time available for the discussion of these two important Motions in which there is very wide public interest?
§ Mr. MICHAEL BEAUMONTCan the right hon. Gentleman also give us any indication as to how many days he thinks it desirable to allot to the further stages of the Town and Country Planning Bill?
§ Mr. BALDWINI will see how we get on with that Bill. With regard to the question of the hon. Member for Bridgeton (Mr. Maxton), for whose benevolent neutrality I am obliged, concerning the Motion which has just been put down, and which I have not seen, I am not at all clear whether we have any jurisdiction in the case, and while I am making inquiries there will undoubtedly be a general election in Australia which will perhaps decide the question. With regard to the subject put down by my own supporters, I shall wait until I have received requests from them.
§ Mr. MAXTONWith reference to the last reply, I wish to say to the right hon. Gentleman that, although the matter has been put down by his supporters, he knows perfectly well that it could be put-down by other Members of the House, and that it is not a matter in which only his supporters are interested but the country generally. What does the right hon. Gentleman mean by his reply to the question on Mr. Lang and the New South Wales Government? Should the general election in New South Wales result in the return of a Government with Mr. Lang's point of view, would the British Government then recall the Governor of New South Wales?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe question seems to be very hypothetical.
§ Mr. BUCHANANApart from the question of whether a general election is held in New South Wales or not, a definite action has been taken by a Governor who is appointed by the Government of this country—[An HON. MEMBER: "The King."]—and whose salary is found by the British Government. [HON. MEMBERS: "NO!"] He is certainly appointed by us and is responsible to our Government. [HON. MEMBERS: "No!"] Apart from whether the election decides for one side or the other, is not the action of deposing a Prime Minister of one of the Commonwealth States an issue of some importance to this country, and should it not be discussed?
§ Mr. BALDWINNo. Under the present conditions of Dominion status my impression—and I am merely speaking without having referred to the matter— is that now the whole position of Governors is entirely outside the jurisdiction of this House, but I should like to make inquiry upon that point myself.
§ Mr. HANNONMay I ask my right hon. Friend whether in point of fact the Governor of New South Wales is one of the most popular Governors in the whole of the Empire at the present moment?
§ Mr. WALLHEADIs it not a matter of some importance to the constitutional position of the Government—
§ Mr. SPEAKERBut we cannot debate it now.
§ Mr. MAXTONThe right hon. Gentleman tells us that neither he nor the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs is sure of the constitutional position. In those circumstances, I do not press him for an answer, but should it be proved that these Governor-Generals are responsible to this House will he consider giving the House an opportunity of discussing the matter?
§ Mr. BALDWINIf the hon. Gentleman will be good enough to put down a question, I will see that the matter is looked into and an answer given on the subject.
§ Motion, and Question, "That the Proceeding on the Finance Bill have precedence this day of the Business of Supply," put, and agreed to.—[Mr. Baldwin.]