MR. GLADSTONEWith regard to the course of Public Business for tomorrow and Friday, it may, perhaps, be convenient that I should state what 427 we propose in the matter. It not having been found convenient to hon. Gentlemen connected with Ireland that the Irish Votes should be taken to-morrow in accordance with the previous arrangement, it has been arranged that my right hon. Friend the Vice President of the Committee on Education will bring forward the Education Vote the first thing to-morrow. Should there be time, we propose also to take some additional English and Scotch Votes, and we must ask the House, likewise, to give us a further Vote on Account for three weeks, or some such short period, in order that the Public Service of the country may be carried on without inconvenience. Then I wish to make an appeal to those hon. Members who have Motions standing upon the Paper for Friday night. The hon. Member for Stafford (Mr. Salt), who has a Motion relating to education standing upon the Paper for that night, will probably find it convenient to state his views on the subject when the Education Vote is under discussion to-morrow night. With regard to the other hon. Members who have Motions on the Paper for Friday night, I am inclined to believe that those hon. Members will make no difficulty of withdrawing them, because their doing so will be of great convenience and advantage to the House, inasmuch as it will enable the Agricultural Holdings (England) Bill to be taken on Friday evening, and thus they would advance the entrance of that measure into the House of Lords. This is as far as regards to-morrow and Friday. When the House meets to-morrow, I will state what day I propose to set apart for the discussion of the Motion of the right hon. Baronet the Member for North Devon on the subject of the Suez Canal Company.
MR. GORSTasked whether the right hon. Gentleman could now state what day the Government proposed to give to enable the House to express its opinion on the present condition of the Transvaal? The Government was under a pledge to give a day for the discussion of that subject.
MR. GLADSTONEIt is quite true that the Government are under a pledge to the House to afford an opportunity for the discussion of the subject to which the hon. and learned Member refers. We shall be able to state what day we propose to set apart for the purpose 428 when the Agricultural Holdings Bills have got through Committee. I may also state that we adhere to our intention with regard to Friday at 2 o'clock, which has been pre-engaged for the discussion of the subject of the Indian contribution towards the expenses of the Army in Egypt.
§ SIR. STAFFORD NORTHCOTEI hope what the right hon. Gentleman has said will be considered by my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Salt); but I am aware that the Motion is one to which he attaches very great interest, and in which a great deal of interest is taken in many different parts of the House, as well as outside; and I very much doubt whether it will be possible for him to bring forward that Motion on the discussion of the Education Estimates. Therefore, although I cannot speak for him, I cannot accept positively the suggestion of the right hon. Gentleman that he will be prepared to give up the opportunity of bringing on his Motion on Friday night. I think we can hardly expect to come, at the present moment, to any settlement as to the Business for next week, especially after the doubt I have suggested as to the course that may be taken by my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford; but I hope the right hon. Gentleman will be able, if not now, at all events to-morrow, to tell us on what day the Motion of which I have given Notice as to the Suez Canal will be brought under discussion.
§ MR. A. ELLIOTI should like to ask whether, supposing we do not get through the Scotch Bill to-day, it is proposed to go on with the Report on the English Bill before the Scotch Bill has passed through Committee?
MR. GLADSTONENo doubt, other things being equal, it would be desirable to proceed with the Scotch Bill in the first place; but if, by the delaying a day in proceeding with the Scotch Bill, we can send the English Bill up to the House of Lords at once, it would be convenient for us to adopt that course.
§ MR. J. LOWTHERI do not know whether the right hon. Gentleman is in a position now to say anything with regard to the two or three other Bills respecting which he undertook to make 429 an early announcement of the intentions of the Government.
§ Mr. A. J. BALFOURI wish to point out that it would be very inconvenient to take the Report on the English Bill before finishing the Scotch Bill, because there are some questions affecting both that have still to come up for consideration. It is most important that they should be taken pari passu.
§ MR. ARTHUR ARNOLDI beg to say that I am willing to postpone until next Session the Motion I have on the Paper for Friday night.
§ MR. WARTONOn what day will the right hon. Gentleman, in accordance with his promise, give us an opportunity to consider the advisability of continuing the experiment of the Grand Committees?
MR. GLADSTONEThere never was any engagement of that kind, and I fully explained the matter before. The engagement was that we should not make any proposal after the end of July, and we do not intend to make any proposal this year.
§ MR. WARTONThen you have dropped it. Has the right hon. Gentleman recognized that the Grand Committees have been a failure?
MR. GLADSTONEThe hon. and learned Member must not put an entire metamorphosis—I might call it something else—into my mouth. I have already given full explanations on this subject, which I cannot always be repeating.