§ They have passed a Bill, intituled, "An Act to further extend the periods for the commencement of the construction and for the completion of the tramways, tramroads, and other works, and for the taking of lands authorised by the West Cumberland Electric Tramways Act, 1901; to extend the period limited by The West Cumberland Electric Tramways Act, 1903, within which distributing mains for the supply of electricity were to be laid down; and for other purposes." [West Cumberland Electric Tramways (Extension of Time) Bill [Lords.]
§ Also, a Bill, intituled, "An Act for incorporating and conferring powers upon the Hessle Gas Light and Coke Company." [Hessle Gas Bill [Lords.]
§ And, also, a Bill, intituled, "An Act to amend the Constitution of the Trustees of the Clyde Navigation; and for other purposes." [Clyde Navigation (Reconstitution) Bill [Lords.]
§ Notices for the Third Reading or consideration of eighteen Private Bills appeared on the Paper, and as each title was called objection was taken by a Nationalist Member, and the Bills were deferred to the following day.
§ MR. MACVEAGH (Down, S.)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, eleven Bills stood over from yesterday and appear upon the Paper to-day by the order of the House. I beg to call your attention to the fact that the Standing 294 Order lays down that proposed private business must be divided equally between Government and private Members' time. I understand that all the eleven Bills are to be taken in private Members' time. This would be a breach of the Standing Orders.
§ *MR. SPEAKERThe discretion in these cases is given by the Standing Order to the Chairman of Committee of Ways and Means, and if the hon. Member complains of his conduct he can take the usual course.
§ SIR GEORGE BARTLEY (Islington, N.)Is there no way of preventing perfectly captious objections?
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)Order, order; take the Chair yourself!
§ *MR. SPEAKERI hope the hon. Member will not persist in these interruptions; they are most disorderly. The hon. Member asked me a perfectly proper Question. I am not aware of any mode in which I can interfere, and I am not the judge of whether objections are captious or not.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLHear, hear! That is all I want.
The following were the Bills objected to—
Chelsea Electricity Supply Bill; Epping Gas Bill; Great Eastern Railway Bill; Higham and Hundred of Hoo Water Bill; Loughborough Corporation Bill; Norwich Union Life Insurance Society Bill; Weybridge and Walton-upon-Thames Electric Supply Bill. To be read the third time To-morrow.
295 Accrington Corporation Bill (by Order); Accrington District Gas and Water Board Bill (by Order); Clay Cross Railway (Abandonment) Bill (by Order); South Suburban Gas Bill (by Order); Wrexham Gas Bill (by Order). Third Reading deferred till To-morrow (Evening Sitting).
Acton Sewage Bill (by Order); Ilfracombe Harbour and Improvement Bill (by Order). Consideration, as amended, deferred till To-morrow (Evening Sitting).
Nottingham and Retford Railway Bill (by Order) [not amended]. Consideration deferred till To-morrow (Evening Sitting).
Otley Improvement Bill (changed from "Otley Gas and Improvement Bill") (by Order); Seaham Gaa Bill (by Order); Sunderland and South Shields Water Bill (by Order). Consideration, as amended, deferred till To-morrow (Evening Sitting).
Local Government Provisional Orders (No. 2) Bill; Local Government Provisional Orders (No. 3) Bill; Local Government Provisional Orders (Poor Law) Bill. Second Reading deferred till Tomorrow.