§ SIR E. GREY moved for leave to bring in a Bill to provide for prohibiting the catching of seals at certain periods in Behring Sea, and for regulating the seal fisheries in those seas.
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSON (Manchester, N.E.)asked whether copies of the Bill would be immediately in the hands of Members, and whether the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs could give some idea of its scope.
§ SIR E. GREYreplied that the present Bill was to take the place of an Act passed two years ago to enable Her Majesty's Government to carry out an agreement with Russia as regarded sealing, or the catching of seals, in certain parts of the Pacific. That Act, which was passed in 1893, expired in July next. It was therefore urgent that another measure should be passed to take its 774 place, and this Bill was intended for the purpose. In the main it resembled previous Acts, which were about to expire. But some changes had been made. He proposed that the Bill should be printed and distributed as soon as possible, if the First Reading was passed now, so that hon. Members might have an opportunity before the Second Reading of comparing the Bill with the previous measures on the subject.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESasked whether the consent of the Dominion Government had been obtained to the Bill, and whether any matters of compensation which arose had now been settled. He hoped that the Bill would not be taken after hours, otherwise he should strongly oppose it?
§ SIR E. GREYsaid he would prefer to postpone answering this question until after the Bill was printed.
§ Bill brought in and Read 1° to be read 2° on Thursday; and to be printed.—[Bill, 304.]