§ MR. ONSLOWI rise, Mr. Speaker, to a point of Order. It will be in the recollection of the House that this morning the Sale of Intoxicating Liquors (Ireland) Bill was, during the progress of a discussion on the question of fixing a day for taking the third reading, counted out. I wish to know in what position the Bill now stands—whether it is a dropped Order, and how it is to be placed at the Sitting to-morrow, should one be held? I also desire to know what precedent, if any, there is for the Government naming Saturday for private Members' Business, when no Go- 1640 vernment Business is to be taken on that day, for the Chancellor of the Exchequer so stated; and, further, if there be a Sitting on Saturday, whether Members in charge of private Bills can place those Bills in the order of precedence in which they appear in to-day's Paper?
§ MR. SPEAKERThe House was counted out last night on a Motion for fixing the day when the third reading of the Bill referred to by the hon. Gentleman was to be taken, and therefore that Bill became a dropped Order. That Order, however, can be revived if the House pleases. If, at the invitation of a Minister of the Crown, the House should think proper that there should be a Sitting to-morrow, it will be open to the hon. Member in charge of the Bill— or, indeed, to any hon. Member—to move to fix that Bill for to-morrow. The order in which such Bills would be taken would depend, according to the practice of the House, upon the pleasure of the Minister of the Crown, who moves that the House do sit to-morrow.
§ MR. ONSLOWasked, whether there was any precedent for the Government naming Saturday for a private Member's Bill?
§ MR. SPEAKERI am not prepared, off-hand, to say whether there is any precedent for holding a Sitting on Saturday solely for the consideration of a Bill other than a Government Bill; but I can state that it is a very unusual course to have a Morning Sitting on Saturday, except for a Bill of urgent importance. The House, however, on the Motion of a Minister of the Crown, having appointed a Bill for consideration to-morrow, it will be open, as I have already said, to hon. Members to move to fix the third reading of the Bill in question for tomorrow.
§ MR. NEWDEGATEAS the House is to meet to-morrow, I wish to know if it will be considered a Government Order day? If so, hon. Members should understand that Government Orders will have precedence.
§ MR. SPEAKERUndoubtedly so. If a Bill is appointed on the Motion of the Government for to-morrow, it will be open to any hon. Member having charge of a Bill to fix it for that day, and the order in which it is to be taken will be at the pleasure of the Minister of the Crown.
§ MR. H. SAMUELSONasked, when the second reading of the Appropriation Bill would take place?
THE CHANOELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER,in reply, said, that no Government measure had as yet been put down for Saturday. With respect to the measures still to be considered, allowance must he made for the very great difficulties the Government had to contend with, especially when the Session began to draw to a close, and particularly when promises had been made at the early part of the Session to take certain measures as first Orders of the Day. The time had come when the Government were compelled to make appeals to those to whom the promises had been made to release them from those promises. The Inclosure Bill had been postponed, as it had been found impossible to appoint a day on which it could be taken as first Order. The Government were not able to say when the Appropriation Bill would be read a second time. He believed it would be read a second time on Monday. At all events, it would be brought in to-day. It would not be taken to-morrow. He proposed to put the Exchequer Bonds Bill down for the Saturday Sitting; but whether any other Bill would be put down for that day by the Government he could not at present say.