§ Mr. Humebrought forward a Motion of which he had given notice, for a better system of appointing Committees of the House upon private Bills. He said that, according to the mode at present adopted, it was quite impossible that the business before the Committees could be properly done. He considered that fifteen was too large a number to have on a Committee; and he thought that nine, or eleven at most, would be a more useful and convenient number. It was utterly impossible that Members who were appointed on several Committees could do the business properly. He was himself named on twelve Committees; and how could he, by any exertion, be in twelve places at once? It was monstrous to expect that he could. He should therefore move, "that every private Bill hereafter committed by the House to a Committee shall be committed to a Select Committee of fifteen Members, drawn by Ballot from the list or lists prepared under the direction of the Speaker, and to which the Bill would, by the standing orders and rules of the House, have been committed."
§ Mr. Poulett Thomsonsaid, that the objection which he saw to the Motion was, that it would not be possible to carry it into effect. The hon. Member for Middlesex had observed, that although he was nominated on many Committees, yet he was only compelled to attend in one, and this was quite true. Now there were no less than 300 private Bills introduced this Session, and if each Member insisted upon attending only one Committee on private Bills, the consequence would be that when sixty Committees had been appointed the numbers of the House would be exhausted and, therefore, 240 of the 300 private Bills must of necessity be postponed. Besides, the proposal of the hon. Member, if adopted, would cause such Committees to be taken haphazard from the House, without any reference to the Members of which it was composed being possessed of any local knowledge or connexions. This course would altogether obstruct the progress of business in such a manner as to render it. Impossible to get on. He did not say, that the present method was the best, or that a better might not be devised, and he hoped that 1193 the Committee of which he had the honour to move the appointment would turn their attention to this point; but if his hon. Friend persisted in dividing the House, he should be compelled to vote against his motion.
§ Mr. Hume, in reply, said that the House could compel the attendance of members, as they were in the habit of doing with respect to Election Committees, and the same regulations should be enforced with regard to Committees on private Bills.
§ The House divided— Ayes 15; Noes 78; Majority 63.