§ * SIR W. HOULDSWORTH (Manchester, N.W.)I beg to move that the Lords' Amendments to this Bill be considered forthwith.
§ * MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)I have no desire to prevent an agreement with the Lords in these Amendments; but I wish to point out that they are taken without notice, and that hon. Members know nothing of them.
§ * MR. SPEAKERI felt that objection myself, and it is only in consequence of the hon. Member in charge of the Bill having given public notice that the Amendments would be considered to-day at this time that I have allowed them to be brought on.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Lords' Amendments be considered forthwith."
§ * MR. BRADLAUGHMy difficulty is this, that I do not know what the Amendments are.
§ * SIR W. HOULDSWORTHThe object of the Bill is to transfer investigations into explosions of boilers connected with mines from the Home Office to the Board of Trade. The Amendments are of a most formal and technical character.
§ * MR. BRADLAUGHI will not stop the Bill as I have really no knowledge of the subject; but I think it ought to be on record that the taking of Amendments without notice did not pass unchallenged.
§ * MR. SPEAKERI only allowed the Bill to be brought forward without notice when I found that the Amendments were not such as to call for the attention of the House.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Lords' Amendments considered, and agreed to.