§ In reply to Sir HENRY JACKSON,
MR. GLADSTONEsaid, full Notice would be given of the day on which the Employers' Liability Bill would be proceeded with.
§ SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTEsaid, it would be convenient to know when the Savings Banks Bill was likely to be 1350 brought on, and also what would be the Business on Thursday?
MR. GLADSTONEThe Savings Banks Bill will not be taken after half-past 11. I will state to-morrow what Business will be taken on Thursday. With regard to another matter, I have to redeem a pledge which was given on Friday last to Irish Members that we would, if possible, make some announcement to the House as to our proposed arrangements for having a discussion on the Bill of the hon. Member for Mayo (Mr. O'Connor Power) with regard to the law of ejectments and compensation in Ireland. We feel that the discussion which then took place has brought this subject very prominently before the public eye; and, this being so, it becomes desirable that the matter should be disposed of by the House. It cannot be desirable that the Bill should remain long suspended. There is also another Bill in the hands of my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary for Ireland with regard to making provision for the fulfilment of the obligations entered into by the late Government for certain advances in Ireland, which will require to be proceeded with rapidly. I stated on a former occasion the difficulty we were in with regard to the pressure of Business, and we think we may venture to postpone for the present, that is to say, for a short time, the consideration of the Irish Borough Electoral Franchise Bill. The time has now arrived, I think, when we may ask the House, especially in the present calls upon us of Irish Business, to give us the additional assistance which it usually does—sometimes at an earlier period of the year—by resorting to Morning Sittings. We, therefore, propose to ask for Morning Sittings on Friday next, and on subsequent Fridays, and on Tuesday the 22nd, and on subsequent Tuesdays. On Tuesday, the 22nd, I propose to proceed with the discussion on the Bill of the hon. Member for Mayo, and I will also undertake to say that before that time we will announce the course which the Government intend to take on the subject. We are anxious to ascertain exactly the operation and effect of the present provisions of the Land Act, and we must have time for that purpose, and before the day mentioned we will state to the hon. Member for Mayo the course we intend to take with regard to his Bill. I have said this in 1351 the hope that we shall have made progress before that times comes with the Bill relating to the advances in Ireland for the relief of distress.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERI hope to be allowed to take the second reading of this Bill to-night.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERWell, the Bill was sent on Friday night, and it is not the fault of the officers of this House if it is not yet distributed. It is a matter of real urgency, and I trust no opposition will be raised to the second reading on the understanding that any question on it may be raised next Friday morning on going into Committee.
§ MR. ONSLOWwished to ask the hon. Baronet the Member for Carlisle a simple Question, and he hoped he would get a simple answer. Did the hon. Member intend to bring on any Motion with regard to Sir Bartle Frere?
§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONI have no answer to give except what I gave in the early part of the evening. Might I appeal to the Prime Minister? I have a Motion coming on next Friday week—when there will be a Morning Sitting—which is of great interest. It is a matter of more interest than anything brought before the House this Session, not in the House, but out-of-doors; and I appeal to the right hon. Gentleman to accommodate me.
MR. GLADSTONEThe Government is under an understood obligation to keep a House for the hon. Baronet.
§ MR. CHAPLINThere is another Bill which is of even more interest than the Bill of the hon. Baronet to many hon. Members, if I may judge from the number of hostile Notices to it, which have been given by hon. Gentlemen opposite, and that is the Hares and Rabbits Bill. It will be of great convenience if the right hon. Gentleman is in a position to say that it will not be taken on Thursday.
§ MR. H. SAMUELSONasked the hon. Member for Portsmouth whether he intended to persevere with the Motion of which he had given Notice—namely, to call attention to the Treaty engagements of this country with the Ottoman Empire?
§ SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFF, in reply, said, that since he gave Notice of this Motion two Members of this House had been sent to Constantinople with reference to the execution of the Treaty of Berlin. Having a grateful recollection of the forbearance which the House exercised towards him when in the exercise of similar duties, and in view of the fact that inconvenience might arise from a discussion in the course of which observations might be made embarrassing to these Gentlemen, he would not proceed with the Motion.
§ MR. PARNELLIn reply to the appeal of the Chief Secretary for Ireland that we should not oppose the second reading of the Irish Belief Bill to-night, I regret to say that, although we should very much desire—and the more especially in view of the kind promise that the Prime Minister has just made to offer facilities to the hon. Member for Mayo (Mr. O'Connor Power) for discussion of his Bill on the Land Question—although we should desire to offer the Government facilities for getting forward their relief measure, yet, in view of the fact that the Bill in question has not yet been issued to Members, and that it has only just within the last hour or two been placed in the Bill Office, and seeing that it contains several provisions of a novel character as compared with the Act of last Session, we would ask the right hon. Gentleman not to proceed with the second reading of it to-night until the Irish Members have had an opportunity of discussing its provisions and deciding what course to take up as a body in reference to it.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERAfter what has been said, I will certainly postpone the Bill until to-morrow, and will take care to have it circulated; but I must again repeat that it is a matter that will not admit of delay, and must be pressed forward as soon as possible.
§ MR. A. GREYAfter the startling announcement made on Friday night by the Chief Secretary for Ireland that he did not object to the principle of the Bill of the hon. Member for Mayo, I consider it my duty to give Notice that I will oppose the second reading of the Landlord and Tenant (Ireland) Act (1870) Amendment Bill.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERI must repeat distinctly that what I said on Friday night was that I neither objected to 1353 the principle of the Bill, nor could I say that I approved of its principle; but I stated that the Government must have time to consider the matter, and that, therefore, the debate should be adjourned.