§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ Motion made and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."
812§ MR. CALDWELLsaid that the Army Act was passed in 1881, and had been frequently amended, but they were in the awkward position that the Act on the Statute-book remained precisely in the form in which it was passed. Year after year they had amending Acts, and he now suggested that the Act as amended should be placed on the Statute-book. A Consolidation Bill of that kind would be passed without any discussion. He thought he could almost guarantee that it would be passed after midnight without discussion. Even if there were any difficulty in passing such a Bill it could be withdrawn, and the Government would lose nothing by having introduced it. He noticed that there was no increase in the scale of payments in respect of billets. The pay of the soldier was to be increased, and he thought the scale from billets should be increased correspondingly.
§ MR. COURTENAY WARNERsaid he thought that the right hon. Gentleman might answer the point which had been raised. [HON. MEMBERS: No, no.] He remembered one occasion on which a present Member of the Treasury Bench and two other hon. Members kept the House for two hours discussing the amount which should be paid for lodging allowance.
§ Adjourned at ten minutes after Twelve o'clock till Monday next.