HC Deb 10 April 1856 vol 141 cc867-9

MR. WILSON moved that the number of Members upon the Committee should be increased to seventeen.

Motion agreed to.

MR. WILSON

then moved that the name of Mr. Vance should be added to the Committee.

MR. VANCE

said, that, as he intended to object to the name of Mr. Kirk, who was about to be proposed as a member of the Committee, he would make his objection at once, in order that he might not be in the invidious position of allowing his own name to be agreed to, and then objecting to that of another Gentleman.

MR. SPEAKER

said, that, as the name before the House was that of Mr. Vance, any observations relating to Mr. Kirk would be out of order.

Motion agreed to.

MR. WILSON

then moved that Mr. Kirk should be added to the Committee.

MR. VANCE

said, he objected to Mr. Kirk being placed upon the Committee, not because he doubted that hon. Member's intelligence, or his general fitness to act upon Committees, but because he was already upon an important Committee—that to inquire into the Court of Chancery in Ireland, and had made a speech strongly against the maintenance of local dues. Dublin and Cork were the only places in Ireland which would be affected by the Bill. He therefore thought that one of the hon. Members for the latter place ought to be upon the Committee, and should move that the name of Mr. Beamish be substituted for that of Mr. Kirk.

Amendment proposed, to leave out the name of Mr. Kirk, in order to insert the name of Mr. Beamish instead thereof.

MR. LOWE

said, he hoped that the House would not agree to the Amendment. There were in Ireland but two towns—Dublin and Cork—which were interested in the maintenance of local dues. The hon. Member for Dublin had just been appointed a Member of the Committee, and he now asked that the other Gentleman from Ireland, who was a member of the Committee, should be connected with a constituency whose interests were adverse to the measure. The manufacturing interests of Ireland were largely involved in the abolition of those dues, which, to some extent, operated as an export duty upon manufactures, and it was but fair that that interest should have a representative upon the Committee.

MR. GROGAN

said, that the Committee was a partisan Committee intended solely to enable the right hon. Member for Kidderminster (Mr. Lowe) to bring in a similar measure for abolishing local dues on shipping to that which he had formerly proposed and withdrawn. The Committee, as originally proposed, consisted of fifteen Members, only five of whom were connected with sea ports.

MR. RICHARDSON

said, he hoped the name of Mr. Kirk would be retained on the Committee.

MR. BEAMISH

said, that, although he conceived the Irish ports which were interested in the subject should be duly represented on the Committee, he did not wish his name to be substituted for that of Mr. Kirk.

Question put, "That the name of Mr. Kirk stand part of the Question."

The House divided:—Ayes 73; Noes 94: Majority 21.

Question, "That the name of Mr. Beamish be inserted instead thereof," put, and agreed to.

Main Question put, and agreed to.

Ordered, That Mr. BEAMISH be added to the Committee.