[BILL 202.] SECOND READING. (Hansard, 4 June 1883)

§ MR. FINDLATER
, in moving that the Bill be now read a second time, said, that this was a short and simple measure dealing with the question of 1711 granting holidays to a very hard-working, intelligent, and deserving class of men that was in the Registry of Deeds Office in Ireland. By the Act 2 & 3 Will. IV, c. 87, s. 1, it was enacted that the Registrar's Office should be kept open from the hour of 10 in the forenoon until the hour of 4 in the afternoon, of every day in the year, excepting Sundays, Christmas Day, and Good Friday, and days of public fast and thanksgiving. There had always been a strong feeling amongst the clerks in the Office that they were exceptionally ill-used, by not having the same number of holidays, half-days, and vacation that were allowed in other Public Departments in Dublin. This Bill had been framed to carry out the very moderate proposals of the Royal Commission as to holidays, and merely added to the meagre allowance given by the Act of Will. IV. the two week days after Christmas Day, Easter Monday, and Whitsun Monday, and a half day every Saturday.

§ MR. COURTNEY
said, he did not object to the second reading of the Bill, which was founded on the Report of a Royal Commission; but he thought that before the House went into Committee on it, if the hon. Member would do him the honour of conferring with him, they would be able to introduce Amendments which would more satisfactorily carry out the recommendations of the Commission.

§ MR. BIGGAR
said, he thought the House was rather in a difficulty with regard to this Bill. The hon. Member (Mr. Findlater) had spoken in such an undertone, and the hon. Member who followed him (Mr. Courtney) had also made his observations so inaudibly, that it had been impossible for anyone who was not sitting close to them to gather what they were saying with regard to the Bill. The House generally did not know the object of the measure, and were unable to form an opinion as to whether it was desirable to support or oppose it. He thought he had heard the Secretary to the Treasury state that the Government proposed inserting Amendments in the Bill; but the Irish Members did not know whether these 1712 were Amendments to which they would be able to agree. For these reasons, he begged to move the Adjournment of the Debate.

§ MR. CHAMBERLAIN
said, he hoped the hon. Member would not put the House to the trouble of a division. The object of the Bill was to extend the principle of Bank Holidays in the case of the clerks of the Registry of Deeds Office in Ireland. At a later stage the hon. Member would be able to see the provisions of the Bill. He (Mr. Chamberlain) hoped the hon. Member would not think it desirable to persist in his Motion.

§ MR. BIGGAR
said, that after the explanation he had received from the President of the Board of Trade he would not press his Motion. He had, however, thought it desirable that the House should know something about the measure, as the hon. Gentleman who moved the second reading had not seemed to think it a subject in which the Irish Members had any concern, or in which they took any interest. After the extremely lucid explanation of the right hon. Gentleman he begged leave to withdraw his Motion.