§ Bill to confirm certain Provisional Orders of the Local Government Board relating to the counties of Buckingham, Cambridge, Oxford, and West Suffolk.
§ Motion made:—"That Standing Order 193A be suspended, and that the Bill be read the first time."—(Sir Walter Foster.)
§ MR. ALPHEUS MORTON (Peterborough)said, he always objected to the suspension of Standing Orders, especially when no explanation whatever was given of the reason why it should be done. The object of this Standing Order, as he understood it, was that these Bills should be introduced and read a first time by a certain date. Everybody but the Government would be bound by it, and he could not see why the Government should not be.
* THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Sir WALTER FOSTER, Derbyshire, Ilkeston)said, he was sure that his hon. Friend, as a hard-working man, would sympathise with a hard-worked Department. The Local Government Board had no less than 116 of these Orders to get through this year. Thirty-seven of them related to the alteration of the boundaries of parishes under the Local Government Act of 1894. In this way a very large amount of work was thrown upon the Department. It was through no want of energy on the part of the Department that those Bills were not ready by the proper date, and he hoped his hon. Friend would not persist in his objection.
§ MR. ALPHEUS MORTONsaid, that in the circumstances and after tin explanation, which might have been given at the outset, he would let the hon. Gentleman off this time.
§ Motion agreed to; Bill presented accordingly, and read 1o and to be printed.—[Bill No. 30.]