HC Deb 16 February 1880 vol 250 cc772-3

Postponed Clauses 3 and 4agreed to,without Amendment.

MR. MITCHELL HENRY

asked whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer had considered the question of allowing a portion of the £5 to be expended for the purpose of manure? He had read inThe Farmer's Gazette—the best agricultural journal in Ireland—that it would be quite useless to give seed to the tenants unless they were also given a small quantity of manure for the purpose of fertilizing it. He trusted that this suggestion would be adopted on Report.

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

said, he would not discuss the question as to whether or not the manure was necessary, but it would be extremely inconvenient to introduce into this Bill, which was intended for the purpose of supplying seed, a provision of the kind indicated; indeed, it would be entirely beyond the scope of the proposal. He did not know, but he believed there was no reason to suppose that there would be any greater deficiency of manure at the present time than there had been formerly in Ireland.

MAJOR NOLAN

had been in hope that the Government would allow the Report of this Bill to be taken that evening. The question was an urgent one, and he thought the Order might be got through at one Sitting. He begged to move that the Standing Orders be suspended, and that the Report be allowed to be taken.

MR. DEPUTY SPEAKER

It is not a question of suspending the Standing Orders; it is rather a question of departure from the general usage of Parliament. It is a course which can be taken with the general concurrence of the House, but not otherwise.

MR. J. LOWTHER

thought Her Majesty's Government ought to complain if, after what had passed some time ago, they could not get further with the Bill than they had done that evening.

Billreported;as amended, to be consideredTo-morrow.