§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEdesired to put a Question to the Speaker with regard to something which occurred late in the previous sitting of the House, when the Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works moved that the House should consider the Lords' Amendments on the Metropolitan Commons Bill. The hon. and gallant Gentleman (Sir James M'Garel-Hogg) was no doubt justified in point of form in taking that course, because the Amendments had been printed, and were at the time in the Vote Office; but he (Sir Charles Dilke) wished to ask the Speaker whether the custom of taking the Lords' Amendments on Bills before those Amendments were circulated amongst Members was not one which ought to be put a stop to. The Amendments in the present instance were of a nature to essentially alter the character of the measure; and he asked whether the understanding arrived at towards the end of last Session with regard to Lords' Amendments ought not to be adhered to, so that Members might have a fair opportunity of considering them?
§ MR. SPEAKER, in reply, said, that while it would no doubt be more convenient that the Lords' Amendments should not be considered before they were actually in the hands of Members, the 1743 hon. and gallant Gentleman had been perfectly within his right in moving that the Amendments in question should be considered. Their consideration, however, could have been stopped if the proposal had been challenged by any hon. Member on the ground that they had not been circulated.