§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read the first time."—(Mr. Stuart-Wortley, Under Secretary of State for the Some Department.)
§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONDoes this Bill incur any expense?
§ [No reply.]
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Bill read the first time.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Standing Orders relating to Naturalization Bills be suspended, and that the Bill be read the second time."—(Mr. Stuart-Wortley.)
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Standing Orders suspended.
§ Bill read a second time, and committed.
§ MR. STUART-WORTLEYI beg to move that the remaining stages of the Bill be now taken.
§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONMr. Speaker, I really want to know what occasion there is for this great hurry? What the bettor will he be after this naturalization has happened? You may turn him into anything. I have not seen the Bill. Will it incur any expense?
§ MR. STUART-WORTLEYI move that the Speaker do now leave the Chair.
§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONI have no objection to this Bill; but I should like to know what it is all about.
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order. The hon. Member can make any observations after I have put the Question.
§ Motion made, and Question put, "That Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair."
§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONI have no object except to ask what the Bill is, and why it is hurried through all the stages in this manner? That is all I want to know.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERThe Bill is for the naturalization of Prince Henry of Battenberg, and that is a Bill which we have no doubt will receive the general and cordial acceptance of the House. It is proposed to carry it through the several stages in this manner, because it has always been the custom with regard to Bills of this kind. It follows the exact precedent of a similar Bill in 1880, which was carried through all its stages at one Sitting of the House. There is, I believe, some further reason for haste on this subject which has induced us to make the proposal that the precedent set in 1880 should be followed now. I believe it was carried in precisely the same way in the other House.
§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORMay I ask whether the passing of this Bill is a condition precedent to Prince Henry of Battenberg's appointment to high command in the Army?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERI think I need hardly answer that question.
§ MR. BROADHURSTHas this Bill ever been printed?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Sir R. ASSHETON CROSS)It is not customary to print these Bills, and there has not been time.
§ MR. BROADHURSTIt is a most extraordinary proceeding, I venture to observe, that we should be asked to pass a Bill for the naturalization of a gentleman of whom we know little or nothing. ["Oh!"] I speak for myself, and not for Gentlemen on the other side. [Mr. WARTON: Hear, hear!] It is a most extraordinary proceeding that we should naturalize a gentleman of whom we practically know nothing, and not have the Bill printed before we are asked to pass it through all its stages.
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTsaid, that the reason why it was necessary to have an Act of Parliament in this case was because Prince Henry of Battenberg had not fulfilled the condition of residence for a certain time, in the United 683 Kingdom. If he had, no Act would have been necessary at all, and the Prince would have been naturalized by the natural process under the authority of the Secretary of State, and the end would have been attained in a day or two. If it had not been that he was a foreigner, and had not fulfilled the condition of residence, the House would have heard nothing at all about it, and the Prince would have been naturalized as a matter of course. His hon. Friend (Mr. Broadhurst) had said they knew nothing at all about the Prince. On the contrary, they knew a great deal about him, and they knew he was married to a daughter of the Queen. In these circumstances, the proposal now before the House was perfectly reasonable he did not know what the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer meant when he said there was a particular reason for haste; but surely it was a Bill to which it was inconceivable that any objection could be raised.
§ MR. JESSE COLLINGSsaid, he did not think there would be any objection to the proposal; but the Chancellor of the Exchequer having stated that there were special reasons why the Bill should be passed, perhaps the right hon. Gentleman would tell them what the special reasons were?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERI believe the fact is that this ought really to have been done before.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Bill considered in Committee, and reported, without Amendment; read the third time, and passed.