BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 2 June 1897)

§ *SIR C. DILKE
asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in the event of the Compensation Bill not being finished to-morrow, it would be taken on Friday?

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.
said he was very anxious not to interfere with the working of the Friday Rule, but he thought it would be admitted that a morning sitting on Friday before the holidays hardly counted as an ordinary Friday sitting. He proposed that the House should meet at Twelve o'clock on Friday to finish the Compensation Bill if necessary he hoped it would not be necessary—and to advance certain non-controversial Bills. In those circumstances the House would adjourn to Thursday, June 17.

§ MR. ASQUITH
hoped it might be clearly understood that no contentious business would be taken.

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
thought they might pass the uncontroversial clauses of the Finance Bill and the adjourned Debate on the Motion to send the Foreign Prison-Made Goods Bill to the Standing Committee. Then 147 he thought the Public Offices (Whitehall) Sites Bill, the Post Office Sites Bill, and the Extraordinary Tithe Bill might be advanced a stage. Several Scotch Members had made an appeal to him to introduce the Congested Districts Bill and the Education Bill for Scotland. Those were Finance Bills, and must be introduced in Committee of the whole House, and he would propose that they should be introduced.

§ MR. ASQUITH
suggested that the Foreign Prison-Made Goods Bill should be omitted from the right hon. Gentleman's list.

§ MR. JOHN DILLON (Mayo, E.)
asked whether the Motion for the Adjournment on Friday would be made at the beginning or the close of the proceedings?

§ MR. BROADHURST
asked if he was to understand that in the case of the Compensation Bill going over to Friday the House would meet at Twelve o'clock instead of Two?

§ MR. T. LOUGH (Islington, W.)
suggested that the Prison-made Goods Bill was too controversial to be taken on Friday.

§ MR. BUCHANAN (Aberdeenshire, E.)
doubted whether many Scotch Members had any idea that the Resolution relating to the Scotch Education Bill would be taken before the holidays? It was undesirable that the Resolution should be taken on Friday, sufficient notice not having been given.

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
said he would not press the matter, but that it had been his opinion that the Scotch Members would welcome the proposal to take the Resolution on Friday. He presumed that the same objection was not entertained against his proposal with regard to the Scotch Congested Districts Bill. That subject, therefore, would be raised on Friday, and the education Resolution would be deferred until after Whitsuntide. He would not insist on taking a stage of the Prison-Made Goods Bill on Friday, although he might remind the House that the only point which would
148 have to be settled was whether the Bill should be referred to a Grand Committee, and that upon the Motion so to refer it the merits of the Measure could not be discussed. In any case the House would meet at Twelve o'clock on Friday. The Motion for the adjournment over the holidays would be made to-morrow at the commencement of public business. Supply would not be taken on Friday.

§ MR. RENSHAW
declared that it would be very convenient if the Resolution respecting the Scotch Education Bill could be introduced before Whitsuntide, as Members would then be better able to discuss the subject with their constituents during the holidays.

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
repeated that he would not take the Resolution if a considerable number of Scotch Members objected to his doing so. Perhaps between now and Friday some convenient arrangement might be made.

§ MR. BROADHURST
asked whether it was necessary to make the Motion with regard to the holidays at the commencement of public business to-morrow. He feared that the discussion of the questions which, would be raised on that Motion might delay considerably the resumption of the Debate on the Workmen's Compensation Bill.

§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY
replied that he had no reason to believe that the discussion on the Motion would be a long one. It was, of course, the privilege of hon. Members to raise questions on the Motion; but he felt sure that the privilege would not be abused.

§ MR. CALDWELL (Lanarkshire, Mid)
remarked that the Resolution on which to found the Education Bill for Scotland was a most important stage, because it would fix the amount of the money that was to be allocated for the purpose.