§ MR. BRYCE (Aberdeen, S.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury in what order he proposes to take the business on Monday.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe first business will be the remaining stages of the Colonial Stock Bill and of the War Loan Bill; then we shall take the Lords Amendments, and then the Appropriation Bill.
§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I wish to call the attention of the First Lord of the Treasury to the order in which the Votes to be taken on Report of Supply have been placed on the Paper. I am aware that the Leader of the Opposition asked for some further opportunity for discussion on the Colonial Office Vote, and that is the Vote which is first put down on the Paper. It will, however, be more in accordance with the usage of the House if the Votes which wore "guillotined" in Committee are taken first on the Report stage. I asked the Loader of the Opposition whether he still desired that this Vote should be put down first, and my right hon. friend told me that he had no desire that it should be so.
§ *MR. SPEAKERThe hon. Member must confine himself to something in the nature of a question.
§ MR. LABOUCHEREI think the right hon. Gentleman understands my question. I believe the order could be changed even now on a motion by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe hon. Member speaks not only for himself, but 658 also, I understand, for the Leader of the Opposition.
§ MR. LABOUCHEREI never do anything without the approval of my Leader.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURAs the Leader of the Opposition asked that the Colonial Office Vote should be put first, and I formally assented, I do not see how I can put it back in the absence of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Stirling Burghs. Cannot some right hon. Gentleman opposite move it?
§ MR. LABOUCHEREWe cannot. It must lie done by the representative of the Government.
§ MR. BRYCEThe natural course would have been to have followed the usual practice of taking Votes which have not been discussed. An hon. Member informs me that on the previous evening the Loader of the Opposition said that ho supposed the course which would be taken by the Government would be to put down the so-called guillotined Votes first.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOUROf course I am bound to accept that as the view of the Leader of the Opposition. It comes upon mo as a great surprise, because it will be remembered that he complained of the short discussion on the Colonial Office Vote, and asked me whether I could not give another opportunity for discussing it. Of course if he has now altered his opinion, and if he thinks the discussion on last Wednesday was sufficient, I should be glad to meet the wishes of the hon. Member. I gather the right hon. Gentleman is commissioned indirectly to state that.
§ MR. BRYCEI have not the permission of the Leader of the Opposition to express his opinion. I only expressed my own view, and stated what I have been told by an hon. Member.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThis is rather a perplexing position in which we find ourselves in the unexpected absence of the Leader of the Opposition. The best thing is to let the Colonial Office Vote be 659 taken sub silentio, and then we might get on to the other Votes.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLSpeaking only for myself——
§ *MR. SPEAKEROrder, order ! The hon. Member has no right to speak for himself or for anybody else, as there is no question before the House. May I point out that the first Order of the Day, "Supply (25th July) Report," cannot be put into another place on the Paper except by the general consent of the House on a motion by the Government? To postpone it to another day would be contrary to the Sessional Order, which requires all outstanding Report of Supply to be disposed of to-day. Nothing can be done except to call it on, and then it may be disposed of as quickly as the House thinks fit.