§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR (Donegal, E.)said, he would suggest that the Government should give precedence to this Bill over the two other Irish Drainage Bills. There appeared to be much less objection to it, and there would probably be less opposition to it than to the others.
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)said, he hoped the House would agree to give a second reading to the whole group of Bills. They all rested upon the same basis, and each involved expenditure of public money for the common benefit. It would be invidious for one part of Ireland to say—"We will agree to this expenditure 850 for the benefit of our own district, but we will exclude other parts of Ireland from like benefits." He hoped there would be no question of precedence, seeing that all the Bills were based on one principle.
§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORsaid, the Bills in reference to the Bann and the Shannon were much more likely to provoke opposition, and his suggestion would increase the chances of the Government securing the passage of one Bill out of the three.
§ MR. CONYBEARE (Cornwall, Camborne)said, the right hon. Gentleman must not suppose that Members were going to allow the Bills to pass without protest. He could not accept the right hon. Gentleman's description of the Bills as involving expenditure for the common benefit. The object was the benefit of a few landlords; there was no benefit for the taxpayers of the country.
§ Second Reading deferred till Tomorrow.