§ MR. COGHILL (Newcastle-under-Lyme)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, seeing the small amount of time left this Session for a full and adequate discussion of the Education Bill, and in order to give the country time to consider its previsions, the Government will, after the Bill has been brought in, postpone the Second Reading of it until November?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHI cannot agree that there is not sufficient time left for the adequate discussion of the short Education Bill which we shall submit to the House.
§ MR. COGHILLDoes the right hon. Gentleman contemplate that the discussion upon Votes in Supply will this Session take a shorter time than usual?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHYes; I have reason to believe so. I think the House will not desire to sit beyond the end of July, and therefore that it will not unduly prolong the discussion of Supply or of any other subject.
§ MR. LABOUCHEREWhat ground has the right hon. Gentleman for thinking that hon. Members on this side of the House object to sit beyond the end of July if the business of the country requires that they should so sit?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHI have no doubt that there are some hon. Gentlemen who are anxious to sit into August, or even September, and the hon. Member is doubtless one of them; but I think the House generally feels that it would be desirable to adjourn earlier.
§ SIR W. HARCOURT (Derby)May I point out to the right hon. Gentleman that it would help us to know when Supply will be concluded if we were told when Supply will be begun?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHI shall be exceedingly glad to name a date for the resumption of the consideration of Supply, which has already been considered on many days during the course of the present Session, if the right hon. Gentleman can give me some indication 1619 of the date when the Land Purchase Bill and some other measures will have been disposed of.