§ GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOURsaid, he desired to call attention to an entry in the Votes and Proceedings of the House, from which it appeared that an application had been received for leave to deposit a Petition, in connection with a Private Bill dealing with Dover Harbour, and that that Petition was to be considered to-day by the Committee on Standing Orders. He desired an explanation of the entry, inasmuch as he had been to the Private Bill Office, and he could get no information about this Petition. This was an important matter, because the Bill for a harbour at Dover had already been before a Select Committee in 1878, which threw it out, or so modified the design as virtually to condemn the project. In order to provide a harbour, suitable for naval purposes as well as for refuge and commerce, the plan must be so enlarged as to involve nothing short of £10,000,000; and as he objected to this mode of smuggling an important Private Bill through Parliament for an inefficient harbour, he now raised the question about the Notice.
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid, it appeared from the Votes that a Petition relating to this matter had been deposited in the usual 533 way at the Private Bill Office. The proceedings seemed to him to have been entirely according to custom; and he saw-no reason why the Memorial should not go in the usual way before the Standing Orders Committee.
§ GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOUR,remarking that he never troubled the House with idle complaints, repeated that he had taken care to inform himself, and that they knew nothing about this Petition, at the Private Bill Office. On an important matter like this—
§ MR. SPEAKERThe hon. and gallant Member has raised a question of Order, and has been answered thereon.
§ GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOURWell, Sir, you know I am the most obedient Member in the House of Commons. Tell me what course I ought to take, and I shall be quite ready to obey.
§ MR. SPEAKERThe hon. and gallant Member states that there has been great irregularity. I am bound to inform him there has been no irregularity at all. It is quite in the ordinary course.
§ GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOURI can only say that I did not know Private Business was done in this way.