§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN (Birmingham, W.)I desire to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister a question of which I have given him private Notice—namely, whether, in answer to a question, he stated, according to the report of his speech in The Times and The Daily News of the 3rd of May, that the Employers' Liability Bill would be taken on Thursday or Friday, and whether he did not, in answer to a further question, state that it would be taken as the first Order before Supply, and whether he is aware that many hon. Members who desired to take part in the Debate upon the question that the measure be referred to the Standing Committee on Law loft the House, under the belief that the subject was not to be taken until Thursday, and that, in spite of this understanding, the Home Secretary, at a few minutes before 12 o'clock at night 79 on Tuesday, obtained the decision of the House, and what steps he proposes to take under these circumstances in order to prevent what appeared to be a breach of faith with this House?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEI thank my right hon. Friend for his courtesy in reference to this matter, and likewise for his assurance that the corpus of the matter in dispute was a very limited one, and that a renewed discussion upon this matter would only occupy a very few minutes. That being so, I should be very sorry to spend more than a very few minutes in making known my intentions with regard to this subject. My recollection of the matter is clear, and is in perfect conformity with that of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. After I had answered a question as to Supply, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer reminded me of the Employers' Liability Bill, and what I intended to convey to the House was that if that matter which was not likely to occupy any appreciable amount of time were not taken before it would be put down as the first Order on Thursday, I never intended to renounce the right to take it before if we could. As, however, there appears to have been some misunderstanding in reference to the subject, I am prepared, with the general concurrence of the House, to move to rescind the decision which the House arrived at on Tuesday evening, and to put the subject down again for discussion to-morrow.
§ Ordered, That the Proceedings upon Tuesday, 2nd May, on the Motion for Committing the Employers' Liability Bill to the Standing Committee on Law, &c, be rescinded.
§ Ordered, That the Adjourned Debate on the said Motion be resumed To-morrow, at Two of the Clock.—(Mr. W. E. Gladstone.)