§ Order for Committee read.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES)said, he very much regretted to have to move that the Order be discharged. The hon. Member for Galway (Mr. T. P. O'Connor) had given 2016 Notice of opposition, and it was, therefore, impossible to proceed with the Bill, and he would move the discharge of the Order for considering it in Committee.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Order for going into Committee upon the said Bill be discharged."—(Mr. Attorney General.)
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORsaid, he would gladly take off his Notice of opposition to the Bill if the hon. and learned Gentleman the Attorney General would accept his (Mr. T. P. O'Connor's) grounds of objection to it.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES)said, he could not make any conditions, and must, therefore, press the discharge of the Order.
§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORsaid, the course taken in this case showed the impropriety of putting up a Member of the Government to block the Bills of independent Members. If a Bill of the hon. Member for Galway (Mr. T. P. O'Connor) had not been blocked by the hon. Member for Bath (Sir Arthur Hayter), the hon. Member would not have blocked the present Bill.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORfelt that he had been very badly treated by the Government, and he had no doubt that the hon. and learned Attorney General would agree with him that he was justified, under the circumstances, in the course he had taken. He simply wished now to explain his reasons for taking that course.
§ MR. SPEAKERI must remind the hon. Member (Mr. T. P. O'Connor) that at present there is no Question before the House other than the discharge of the Order.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORsaid, he would take off the block against the Bill.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES)Then I will withdraw my Motion for the discharge of the Order, and fix the Committee for to-morrow.
§ Motion, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Committee deferred till To-morrow.