* LORD SANDFORDasked Her Majesty's Government when the Ordinances of the Scottish Universities Commissioners, presented to this House on the 19th June, and, on the same day, ordered to be printed, were likely to be circulated? He said, the delay had been very serious. Seven weeks had elapsed yesterday since the Ordinances were presented. They were circulated in the House of Commons on the 18th July, and were advertised for sale in the Public Press on the 20th. This was a long 1531 time for their Lordships to have to wait, especially as a proposal was likely to be made to modify one of them, and a period of the Session was approaching when it might be difficult to secure due attention to such a proposal.
THE EARL OF KIMBERLEYThis matter depends upon the printers at Edinburgh, over whom I do not exercise all the control I could wish; but I am glad to be able to inform the noble Lord that the documents were despatched on Saturday. The intervening Bank Holiday seems to have delayed our receiving them; but when they arrive they will be at once circulated.
LORD BALFOURasked whether the time which had elapsed since the 19th June would count during which these Ordinances must lie on the Table before they become law, and also whether the forthcoming adjournment for a fortnight would be counted in the time? If so, it seemed likely that the House would be deprived of an opportunity of expressing an opinion at all upon them. A good many communications, he might mention, had reached him on the subject of these Ordinances.
THE EARL OF KIMBERLEYI wish attention had been drawn before to the fact that these Papers have not been printed, and I should have taken care they should have been expedited; but I have been doing all I can in the matter. I will ascertain, in reference to what the noble Lord opposite has asked. I quite agree that it would be exceedingly wrong if the House were deprived of the opportunity of expressing its opinion simply because the printers in Edinburgh have been extraordinarily slow.
* LORD SANDFORDsaid, that, speaking from memory, he believed that under the Act adjournments did not count, and, therefore, these Ordinances would lie for 12 working weeks.