LONDONDERRY IMPROVEMENT BILL (BY ORDER). (Hansard, 6 March 1896)

§ MR. W. JOHNSTON
I move "That the consideration of this Bill be deferred till Tuesday next." (Cries of "Monday.")

§ MR. SPEAKER
It is for the House to say whether it shall come on upon Tuesday. The hon. Member in charge of the Bill may move that it should go over to Tuesday, but if other hon. Members do not agree to that, it is for the House to decide upon what day it shall be taken.

MR. T. M. HEALY
Shall I be in order in moving either a later or an earlier day?

§ MR. SPEAKER
I have said it is for the House to decide whether it shall be taken on Tuesday or some other day, and that can be done by moving some Amendment to the Motion.

Mr. T. M. HEALY
said he presumed the House would not decide that without argument. He therefore begged to move as an Amendment that Monday be substituted for Tuesday. He remarked that the only way to get terms with regard to private Bills out of the Government, was to make it inconvenient for the Government to assent to the monstrous proposals involved in these Bills. It was idle for the Government to say they had no responsibility. They had this responsibility. They were in command of a majority of the House, and every Member of the Government went into the Lobby on both occasions in support of the Bill. They had not only their responsibility as individuals but as a 348 Government. The hon. Baronet the Member for South Derry proposed that this Bill should be put down for Tuesday, to filch from private Members the time at their disposal. The question of Sunday opening of museums was to be debated next Tuesday. They had waited many years to debate it and he saw no reason why it should be shelved. He assured the hon. Baronet that if he did not support the Irish Members in carrying Monday instead of Tuesday, he should have little chance for his Motion on Tuesday, because of the lengthy discussion which would take place both on this Bill and the Derry Bill, which was even more vicious. It was to suit the convenience of the Lord Mayor of Belfast and Sir Samuel Black, the Town Clerk, that they were put to the inconvenience of debating this Bill that day. The Government had an extra day for Supply, and he urged that they should support him to have this Motion debated in Government time.

§ MR. VESEY KNOX
seconded the Amendment. Hon. Members opposite, while wishing to save the time of the Government, wished to take away the political future of the candidates in Londonderry and Belfast. The Derry Bill was an extraordinary Bill—the most extraordinary private Bill ever brought into the House. He would have to give his reason for saying this in detail at the proper time, so the Debate on the Bill would not be quickly disposed of. This was not a Bill which private Members, with the interests of private Members at heart, would wish to put down for Tuesday. He appealed to Conservative Members in the interest of the Conservative Member for Finsbury, who had secured Tuesday, and in the interest of the time of the House, to let this Bill be taken again on Monday.

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
hoped the hon. Member would not persist in the Amendment. The Seconder had told them that this was an extraordinary Bill. He was not sufficiently acquainted with its details to express an opinion on that point. Whether it was extraordinary or not, Tuesday was as fit a day as Monday, if not fitter. He trusted the hon. Member would not persist in the unusual course of differing 349 from the promoters of the Bill as to the day on which the Bill was to be put down