HC Deb 22 March 1867 vol 186 cc450-2

Order for Second Reading read.

MR. WALPOLE

moved the second reading of this Bill. He said, that it should be set down for Committee on an open evening, perhaps the 29th April, of which hon. Members should have due notice. If the hon. Member for Manchester desired then to move that the Bill be sent to a Select Committee, he should have an opportunity of doing so.

Motion made, and Question "That the Bill be now read time."—(Mr. Walpole.)

MR. FAWCETT

said, he hoped that the second reading would be postponed, as the measure was of so important a character that it would be better to afford an opportunity for discussing it upon the second reading. He suggested that the second reading should be postponed and fixed for some other day before Easter. He should take an opportunity of moving a Resolution on Tuesday which would have the effect of raising the whole question, which was exciting the greatest interest throughout the country.

MR. WALPOLE

said, he should have been glad to follow that course; but there was no Government night between now and Easter on which he could be sure to bring the measure forward again. If, however, the second reading were agreed to, there would be ample opportunity for discussing the provisions of the Bill in Committee.

MR. AYRTON

said, the hon. Member for Brighton could not do as he proposed, and suggested that the Motion for reading the Bill the second time should be put down for Tuesday.

MR. SPEAKER

said, that if the Bill were read a second time now, and its further consideration were postponed to a distant day, it would not be in accordance with the rules of the House to discuss it in the interval, as proposed by the hon. Member for Brighton (Mr. Fawcett).

MR. LIDDELL

said, he wished to ask whether the Government contemplated introducing a measure embodying the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Agricultural Gangs, the touching disclosures of whose Report he had read with much pain.

MR. POWELL

said, he apprehended that there would be the greatest difficulty in the way of this being done; and if the hours of labour of these children were to be limited, the only consequence would be to expose them to greater temptations to vice. He hoped the Government would bring other trades under the provisions of the Bill besides those it dealt with.

MR. DILLWYN

said, he should move the adjournment of the debate, as he thought it most important that the Bill should be properly discussed.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Debate be now adjourned."—(Mr. Dillwyn.)

MR. AYRTON

said, he should support the Motion for adjournment, because he thought it useless to discuss a Bill on the Motion for going into Committee unless the Committee itself was postponed. It was most important that the Bill should be thoroughly discussed, in order that the country might understand its provisions.

MR. FAWCETT

said, that the second reading should be adjourned for the present, but still he fixed for a day before Easter.

MR. WALPOLE

said, every Government night between now and Easter was filled up; but if the House would consent to the second reading, he would not go into Committee until the Bill had been fully discussed.

MR. CANDLISH

said, he thought they ought to read the Bill a second time that night.

Motion, by leave, withdrawn.

Main Question put, and agreed to.

Bill read a second time, and committed for Monday 29th April.