RESOLUTION. (Hansard, 4 March 1873)

§ MR. BOUVERIE
moved the following Resolution:— That, except for a Money Bill, no Order of the Day or Notice of Motion be taken after half-past Twelve of the clock at night, with respect to which Order or Notice of Motion, a Notice of Opposition or Amendment shall have been printed on the Notice Paper, or if such Notice of Motion shall only have been given the next previous day of sitting, and objection shall be taken when the Notice is called. He explained that he brought forward this Resolution now, because last Session it had been adopted and had been found to work well, for it enabled the bulk of the House to know what was coming on at a late period of the night, and prevented the unseemly exhibitions which occurred when constant Motions were made for the Adjournment of the House and the Debate. Towards 1 o'clock in 1363 the morning, the House was not in a condition to discuss details of important measures, and this Resolution was necessary to prevent debates upon the merits of a Bill being continued on a Motion for Adjournment. He therefore hoped the House would be disposed to affirm it again.

§ SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSON
would not oppose the proposition, but hoped the House would not consent to its being made more than a Sessional Order, because, as was the case on Wednesday, it led to Orders of the Day being talked out. The tendency of a hard-and fast-line like that was to convert every night's debate into a Wednesday afternoon discussion, and such a limitation might be carried too far.

§ SIR FRANCIS GOLDSMID
opposed the adoption of the rule which caused hon. Members to talk against time, and led to serious hindrance of Business.

§ MR. CHARLEY
also opposed the rule, because it tended to give a further monopoly of Business to the Government. He moved an Amendment the effect of which was to restrict the operation of the proposed rule to the second reading of Bills.

§ MR. W. FOWLER
complained that the rule prevented private Members from carrying through any legislation. He thought that if the House meant to stop all legislation by private Members it would be far better to have a standing rule to that effect than in this indirect and underhand way to put an end to their labours.

MR. GLADSTONE
said, that this was a question in which it behoved the Government to consult the general feel- 1364 ings of the House rather than its own. After having watched the operation of the Resolution last Session, he was proud to say that, upon the whole, and in spite of certain disadvantages, it had worked to the comfort and relief of a really over-tasked House.

§ COLONEL WILSON-PATTEN
agreed with his right hon. Friend in approving the rule, though there were instances in which independent Members had suffered inconvenience. But on the whole, the conduct of Public Business last Session was greatly improved by the adoption of the rule.

§ MR. DILLWYN
admitted that the comfort of hon. Members might be increased by the rule; but it must be borne in mind that hon. Members were not sitting there for their own comfort, but for the interest of the nation, and the question was, whether the rule had conduced to the public interest.