§ MR. A. J. BALFOUR (Manchester, E.)With regard to the Notice on the Paper for the suspension of the Twelve o'Clock Rule, in respect of which no public notice was given on Friday, I should like to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister whether he put it down upon the Paper for the purpose of carrying out the ordinary object of such a Motion—namely, to prevent the inconvenience which might arise from the sudden interruption of the Debate at 12 o'clock? I shall myself not divide against the Motion if I receive a satisfactory answer from the right hon. Gentleman. I think that there will be 649 no disposition to prolong the Debate beyond this evening.
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEAt the time when I gave the Notice of my Motion, undoubtedly it never occurred to me that it was likely to be the subject of any prolonged Debate, even to the extent of a single evening. When, however, my right hon. Friend the Member for West Birmingham (Mr. J. Chamberlain) gave Notice of his Amendment in the form in which I heard it, it occurred to me that it was a remarkable Amendment, and it was listening to it and to the terms in which it was couched that induced me to think that the Debate might be somewhat prolonged upon that Amendment, and that, therefore, it might be prudent to move the suspension of the Twelve o'Clock Rule. That was the way in which the matter arose. I had no reason to suppose that this was likely to be one of those very prolonged Debates which have made previous Sittings of the House of Commons famous in other times, and I sincerely join in the hope, which I think was conveyed in the language of the right hon. Gentleman opposite, that this Debate will be closed to-night.