HC Deb 14 May 1849 vol 105 cc389-91
MR. S. WORTLEY

moved, that Orders of the Day have precedence of notices of Motions on Thursday, the 7th day of June next. Finding it impossible to get any day for the adjourned debate on the Marriage Bill before the 7th of June, and considering that this was a part of the Session in which all Thursdays were given to the Government, he did not think it unreasonable to ask for one Thursday for the adjourned debate.

MR. B. OSBORNE

begged to move an Amendment to the Motion of the right hon. and learned Gentleman. Ministers, he thought, did not intend to bring in any more Bills, and there were several important Motions on the Paper. The hon. Member for the West Riding had had his Motion for peace arbitration on the Paper for three months.

Amendment proposed, to leave out from the word "That" to the end of the Question, in order to add the words, "the Orders of the Day be disposed of in the order in which they stand upon Thursday the 14th day of June next," instead thereof.

Question proposed, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Question."

MR. DISRAELI

begged to remind the House that the other night, at an early hour, the hon. Member for the West Riding might have brought forward the Motion, and declined doing so. After having liberally conceded to the Government the use of these days, he thought the matter should be left to the good sense and feeling of the Government.

MR. HENLEY

said, that this was a question for the consideration of the noble Lord at the head of the Government, for they were in a backward state as to Motions of Supply. The miscellaneous estimates were not yet laid on the table. If the Government gave way to the allegation that the measure was of importance, the real business of the Government would be postponed sine die.

MR. COBDEN

said, that he was not called upon to bring on his Motion until a quarter past Eleven o'clock, after the hon. Member for Surrey had finished his de-bate; and he put it to the hon. Member for Buckinghamshire, whether a quarter past Eleven was a proper time to bring forward a Motion on which a larger number of petitions had been presented this Session than upon any subject now before the House?

MR. GOULBURN

thought, that if Government acceded to the Motion, they would be setting a dangerous precedent. The House should lay down a general rule as to the days on which Notices and Orders should have precedence, and adhere to it.

LORD J. RUSSELL

felt great objection to the Motion of the right hon. and learned Gentleman. He had proposed to the House, with a view to the more speedy and regular transaction of public business, that alternate Thursdays should be allowed for Orders of the Day and Special Orders of the Day moved by the Government. The House having acceded to that proposition on the grounds which he then stated, he thought it would not be fair to the House if they were to accede to the Motion of the right hon. and learned Gentleman. The hon. Members for Middlesex and Oxfordshire had made some observations as to the present state of public business. He begged leave, in the first place, to say that it was not at all to be inferred, from the number of Bills before the House, that there would be no other Bill which it would be necessary or expedient for Government to introduce. He had thought it tended more to the despatch of public business, instead of agreeing to the request of hon. Members to bring in the Bills at once, that the attention of the House should be directed to certain Bills, and that they should be disposed of before other Motions were introduced. In regard to supply, the hon. Member for Oxfordshire was right in his statement that they were late in many of the votes. As to the vote for the Army, they had waited till this time to see whether the Select Committee would make any report on that branch of supply. They had now informed him that they would not be able to go into the consideration of the Army at present, and therefore, until now, they were not in a state to proceed with the votes as to the Army. Whilst he said that he could not vote for the Motion of the right hon. and learned Gentleman, he must ask the House to fulfil the arrangement to which they agreed before Easter, and allow Government to take the Orders the Day.

MR. B. OSBORNE

said, that after the speech of the noble Lord, he should withdraw his Amendment.

MR. S. WORT LEY

understood that the feeling of the House was, that he should not persevere in his Motion, and he would therefore withdraw it.

Amendment, and Motion, by leave, withdrawn.