§ MR. AYRTONsaid, he would beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether he is willing to move that the Refreshment Houses and Wine Licences Bill be committed pro formâ, for the purpose of introducing his Amendments therein and having the Bill reprinted?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, he was sorry that he could not accede to that arrangement. Owing to the necessary pressure of public business the debate on the Bill had spread over a period of seven weeks. If it had been agreeable to hon. Gentlemen that the Bill, after having been read a second time, should have been committed, it would have been practicable, without any great inconvenience, to have adopted the course of incorporating the whole of the Amendments, and sending them forth for the consideration of all parties. At present the state of the case was, that the Amendments of which he had given notice, and which represented the Bill in its complete form, so far as the House was concerned in no respect touched the essential principle of the Bill, of which he had endeavoured to give the clearest explanation. In the state of public business it would not be convenient to allow of the further delay for the reprinting of the Bill. Of course, if there were found any great inconvenience in Committee, hon. Members would be entitled to make the demand; but he could not conceive how any such inconvenience could arise, because the Amendments were very simple in form.