§ Order for Committee read.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair."—(Mr. James Stewart.)
§ MR. ORR-EWINGmoved the adjournment of the debate on the ground that the Bill ought not to be discussed at so late an hour.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Debate be now adjourned."—(Mr. Orr-Ewing.)
§ MR. DONALD CAMERONobserved that the Bill appeared to have entered upon a new phase. As long as the Bill stood in the form proposed by the hon. Member opposite (Mr. James Stewart) he saw no harm in it; but when the hon. Member for Dumbarton (Mr. Orr-Ewing) put down his Notice, a great many of his (Mr. Cameron's) constituents objected to it. If, as was reported, the Government accepted the Amendment of the hon. Member for Dumbarton, the intention of the original Bill would be reversed. In that case, he must oppose the Bill; but he hoped the Government would announce what their intention was one way or the other.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURhoped the debate would be adjourned, for this was a Bill interfering with local customs all over Scotland, and it would be impossible to get through a debate on such a measure in less than an hour and a-half or two hours. After the House had been working at high pressure all day and every day on the Land Law (Ireland) Bill, it was impossible to expect Members to discuss measures like this in a sober and clear spirit.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Debate adjourned till Monday next.