§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. AKERS-DOUGLAS, Kent, St. Augustine's)formally moved the Motion standing on the Order Paper in his name.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That Committees do not sit To-morrow, being Ascension Day, until Two of the clock."—(Mr. Secretary Akers-Douglas.)
353§ SIR JOHN LENG (Dundee)said it was well known that great inconvenience was caused not only to Members of this House but to those who were promoting Private Bills in Committee by delaying the meeting of Committees on Ascension Day from 11 or 11.30 a.m. till 2 p.m. Why should this Motion be made? The Prime Minister three or four years ago stated that the Government of that day did not insist upon its being passed, and the right hon. Gentleman gave sufficient reasons why the practice should be allowed to fall into desuetude. Every hour of Parliamentary time, especially in connection with the procedure of Private Bills, was precious. The cost to promoters of Private Bills was already large enough without adding another day's expenses to the charges. Hon. Members were sent there to do the business of the country; and he saw no reason why, year after year, this practice of delaying business for hours, for which there might have been some excuse in former times, should be continued. It was out of no disrespect to those hon. Members who wished to attend a religious service on Ascension Day that he moved "That the Committee sit to morrow at Twelve o'clock." There were
§ opportunities for those hon. Gentlemen to discharge their religious duty earlier in the morning. Moreover, it should be remembered that a large number of Members of this House and those interested in Private Bills were not influenced by these religious sentiments. He begged to move, "That the Committees meet tomorrow at Twelve o'clock, noon."
§ SIR BRAMPTON GURDON (Norfolk, N.)seconded the Amendment. He made a special appeal to the Prime Minister, or the right hon. Gentleman who represented him, to see whether an arrangement could not be made with the Chaplain, of the House to hold an early service for the benefit of those members, if there were any such, who wished to attend service on Ascension Day.
§
Amendment proposed—
To leave out the word 'two,' and insert the word 'twelve' (Sir John Leng) instead there of.
§ Question put, "That the word 'two' stand part of the Question."
§ The House divided:—Ayes, 199; Noes, 135. (Division List No. 189.)
357| AYES. | ||
| Abraham, William (Cork, N. E.) | Carson, Rt. Hon. Sir Edw. H. | Flower, Sir Ernest |
| Acland-Hood, Capt. Sir Alex. F. | Cavendish, R. F. (N. Lancs.) | Forster, Henry William |
| Agg-Gardner, James Tynte | Cavendish, V. C. W. (Derbyshire | Galloway, William Johnson |
| Agnew, Sir Andrew Noel | Cayzer, Sir Charles William | Gardner, Ernest |
| Allsopp, Hon. George | Cecil, Lord Hugh (Greenwich) | Gilhooly, James |
| Anson, Sir William Reynell | Clive, Captain Percy A. | Godson, Sir Augustus Frederick |
| Arrol, Sir William | Coghill, Douglas Harry | Gordon, Maj Evans(T'rH'mlets |
| Atkinson, Rt. Hon. John | Colomb, Rt. Hon. Sir John C. R | Gore, Hon. S. F. Ormsby- |
| Aubrey-Fletcher, Rt Hon. Sir H. | Colston, Chas. Edw. H. Athole | Gorst, Rt. Hon. Sir John Eldon |
| Bain, Colonel James Robert | Cripps, Charles Alfred | Graham, Henry Robert |
| Baird, John George Alexander | Cross, Herb. Shepherd (Bolton) | Green, Walford D. (Wednesbury |
| Balcarres, Lord | Cubitt, Hon. Henry | Greene, W. Raymond (Cambs.) |
| Balfour, Capt. C. B. (Hornsey) | Dalkeith, Earl of | Grenfell, William Henry |
| Balfour, Rt Hn. Gerald W. (Leeds | Dalrymple, Sir Charles | Gretton, John |
| Banbury, Sir Frederick George | Davenport, William Bromley | Gunter, Sir Robert |
| Banner, John S. Harmood- | Denny, Colonel | Halsey, Rt. Hon. Thomas F. |
| Barry, E. (Cork, S.) | Dillon, John | Hamilton, Marq. of (L'nd'nderry |
| Bartley, Sir George C. T. | Disraeli, Coningsby Ralph | Hammond, John |
| Bill, Charles | Doogan, P. C. | Hardy, Laurence (Kent, Ashford |
| Bingham, Lord | Douglas, Rt. Hon. A. Akers- | Hare, Thomas Leigh |
| Blundell, Colonel Henry | Doxford, Sir William Theodore | Haslam, Sir Alfred S. |
| Boland, John | Duke, Henry Edward | Hayden, John Patrick |
| Bond, Edward | Esmonde, Sir Thomas | Heaton, John Henniker |
| Boscawen, Arthur Griffith- | Fellowes, Rt. Hn Ailwyn Edward | Holder, Augustus |
| Bowles, T. Gibson (King's Lynn | Fergusson, Rt. Hn. Sir J. (Manc'r | Hoare, Sir Samuel |
| Brodrick, Rt. Hon. St. John | Finch, Rt. Hon. George H. | Hope, J. F. (Sheffield, Brightside |
| Brotherton, Edward Allen | Fisher, William Hayes | Houldsworth, Sir Wm. Henry |
| Brymer, William Ernest | Fitzgerald, Sir Robert Penrose | Hoult, Joseph |
| Bull, William James | Flannery, Sir Fortescue | Howard, J. (Midd., Tottenham |
| Campbell, John (Armagh, S.) | Flavin, Michael Joseph | Hudson, George Bickersteth |
| Hunt, Rowland | Milvain, Thomas | Ritchie, Rt Hon. Chas. Thomson |
| Hutton, John (Yorks, N. R.) | Mitchell, William (Burnley) | Robertson, Herbert (Hackney |
| Jebb, Sir Richard Claverhouse | Montagn, G. (Huntingdon) | Roche, John |
| Jeffreys, Rt. Hon. ArthurFred. | Moon, Edward Robet Paey | Ropner, Colonel Sir Robert |
| Joyce, Michael | Morgan, David J (Walthamstow | Round, Rt. Hon. James |
| Kennedy, Vincent P. (Cavan, W) | Morrison, James Archibald | Rutherford, John (Lancashire) |
| Kenyon, Hn. Geo. T. (Denbigh) | Morton, Arthur H. Aylmer | Sackville, Col. S. G. Stopford |
| Kenyon-Slaney, Rt. Hn. Col. W. | Muntz, Sir Philip A. | Sadler, Col. Samuel Alexander |
| Kilbride, Denis | Murphy, John | Samuel, Sir Harry S. (Limehouse |
| Knowles, Sir Lees | Murray, Charles J. (Coventry) | Seton-Karr, Sir Henry |
| Law, Andrew Bonar (Glasgow) | Myers, William Henry | Sheeban, Daniel Daniel |
| Law, Hugh. Alex. (Donegal, W.) | Nolan, Joseph (Louth, South) | Skewes-Cox, Thomas |
| Lawson, Hn. H L. W. (Mile End) | O'Brien, Patrick (Kilkenny) | Spear, John ward |
| Lawson, John Grant (Yorks, N. R | O'Connor, John (Kildare, N.) | Stanley, Hon Arthur (Ormskirk |
| Lee, Arthur H (Hants., Fareham | O'Dowd, John | Stanley, Edward Jas. (Somerset |
| Legge, Col. Hon. Heneage | O'Malley, William | Stewart, Sir Mark J. M 'Taggart |
| Leveson-Gower, Frederick, N. S. | O'Mara, James | Stroyan, John |
| Llewellyn, Evan Henry | O'Shaughnessy, P. J. | Strutt, Hon. Charles Hedley |
| Long, Rt. Hn. Walter (Bristol, S) | Palmer, Sir Walter (Salisbury) | Sullivan, Donal |
| Loyd, Archie Kirkman | Parker, Sir Gilbert | Thornton, Percy M. |
| Lucas, Col. Francis (Lowestoft) | Parkes, Ebenezer | Tomlinson, Sir Wm. Edw. M. |
| Lundon, W. | Pease, Herbert Pike (Darlington | Tuff, Charles |
| Macdona, John Cumming | Percy, Earl | Valentia, Viscount |
| MacIver, David (Liverpool) | Pitkington, Colonel Richard | Walrond, Rt Hn. Sir William H. |
| MacNeill, John Gordon Swift | Platt-Higgins, Frederick | Wason, John Cathcart (Orkney) |
| Maconochie, A. W. | Plummer, Sir Walter R. | Welby, Lt.-Col. A C. E. (Taunton |
| MacVeagh, Jeremiah | Power, Patrick Joseph | Williams, Colonel R. (Dorset) |
| M'Hugh, Patrick A. | Pretyman, Ernest George | Willoughby de Eresby, Lord |
| M'Iver, Sir Lewis (Edinburgh W | Pryce-Jones, Lt.-Col. Edward | Wilson-Todd, Sir W. H. (Yorks.) |
| M'Killop, James (Stirlingshire) | Purvis, Robert | Wortley, Rt. Hon. C. B. Stuart |
| Majcndie, James A. H. | Pym, C. Guy | Wrightson, Sir Thomas |
| Malcolm, Ian | Rankin, Sir James | Young, Samuel |
| Manners, Lord Cecil | Ratcliff, R. F. | |
| Marks, Harry Hananel | Reddy, M. | TELLERS FOR THE AYES—Sir |
| Maxwell, Rt. Hn. Sir. H. E(Wigt'n | Redmond, John E. (Waterford | John Kennaway and Mr. |
| Maxwell, W J. H. (Dumfriesshire | Reid, James (Greenock) | Mount. |
| Middlemore, John Throgmorton | Renwick, George | |
| Mildmay, Francis Bingham | Ridley, S. Forde | |
| NOES. | ||
| Abraham, William (Rhondda | Davies, M. Vaughan (Cardigan | Jacoby, James Alfred |
| Ainsworth, John Stirling | Delany, William | Johnson, John |
| Allen, Charles P. | Dewar, John A. (Inverness-sh. | Jones, David Brynmor(Swansca |
| Allhusen, Augustus Henry Eden | Dilke, Rt. Hon. Sir Charles | Jones, William (Carnarvonshire |
| Ashton, Thomas Gair | Douglas, Charles M. (Lanark) | Kitson, Sir James |
| Atherley-Jones, L. | Duncan, J. Hastings. | Labouchere, Henry |
| Barlow, John Emmott | Dunn, Sir William | Lambert, George |
| Benn, John Williams | Edwards, Frank | Lamont, Norman |
| Blake, Edward | Elibank, Master of | Langley, Batty |
| Brand, Hon. Arthur G. | Ellice, Capt EC. (S. Andrw'sBghs | Lawson, Sir Wilfrid (Cornwall) |
| Brigg, John | Elliot, Hon. A. Ralph Douglas | Layland-Barratt, Francis |
| Bright, Allan Heywood | Emmott, Alfred | Leese, Sir Joseph F. (Accrington |
| Brown, George M. (Edinburgh) | Fenwick, Charles | Leigh, Sir Joseph |
| Bryce, Rt. Hon. James | Ferguson, R. C. Munro (Leith) | Lough, Thomas |
| Buchanan, Thomas Ryburn | Findlay Alexander (Lanark, NE | Lyell, Charles Henry |
| Burke, E. Haviland | Flynn, James Christopher | M'Crae, George |
| Burns, John | Goddard, Daniel Ford | M'Kenna, Reginald |
| Burt, Thomas | Gordon, Hn. J E. (Elgin & Nairn) | Mansfield. Horace Rendall |
| Caldwell, James | Gordon, J. (Londonderry, S.) | Meysey, Thompson, Sir H. M. |
| Cameron, Robert | Grey, Rt Hon. Sir E. (Berwick) | Mooney, John J. |
| Causton, Richard Knight | Hain, Edward | Nannetti, Joseph P. |
| Cawley, Frederick | Hardie, J. Keir (Merthyr Tydvil) | Norton, Capt. Cecil William |
| Channing, Francis Allston | Hayter, Rt. Hon. Sir Arthur D. | Nussey, Thomas Willans |
| Cheetham, John Frederick | Helme, Norval Waston | O'Brien, Kendal (Tipperary Mid |
| Clancy, John Joseph | Hemphill, Rt. Hon. Charles H. | O'Connor, James (Wicklow, W.) |
| Corbett, T. L. (Down, North) | Henderson, Arthur (Durham) | Partington, Oswald |
| Craig, Robert Hunter (Lanark) | Higham, John Sharp | Pease, J. A. (Saffron Walden) |
| Crombie, John William | Hobhouse, C E. H. (Bristol, E.) | Pemberton, John S. G. |
| Crooks, William | Holland, Sir William Henry | Pirie, Duncan V. |
| Cross, Alexander (Glasgow) | Horniman, Frederick John | Rea, Russell |
| Dalziel, James Henry | Hutchinson, Dr. Charles Fredk. | Reid, Sir R. Threshie (Dumfries |
| Renshaw, Sir Charles Bine | Smith, Rt Hn J Parker (Lanarks | Wallace, Robert |
| Richards, Thomas (W. Monm'th) | Smith, Samuel (Flint) | Walton, Joseph (Barnsley) |
| Roberts, John Bryn (Eition) | Soames, Arthur Wellesley | Wason, Eugene (Clackmannan) |
| Roberts, John H. (Denbighs.) | Spencer, Rt Hn. C. R. (Northants | Whiteley, George (York, W. R.) |
| Robertson, Edmund (Dundee) | Stanhope, Hon. Philip James | Williams, Osmond (Merioneth |
| Robson, William Snowdon | Taylor, Austin (East Toxteth) | Wills, Arthur Walters (N. Dorset |
| Roe, Sir Thomas | Taylor, Theodore C. (Radeliffe) | Wilson, John (Durham, Mid.) |
| Rollit, Sir Albert Kaye | Tennant, Harold John | Wilson, John (Falkirk) |
| Royds, Clement Molyneux | Thomas, J A (Glamorgan, Gower | Wilson, J. W. (Worcestersh. N.) |
| Runciman, Walter | Thomson, F. W. (York, W. R.) | Yoxall, James Henry |
| Russell, T. W. | Thorburn, Sir Walter | |
| Sohwann, Charles E. | Tollemache, Henry James | TELLER FOR THE NOES—Sir |
| Shackleton, David James | Tomkinson, James | John Leng and Sir Brampton Gurdon. |
| Shipman, Dr. John G. | Toulmin, George | |
| Sinclair, John (Forfarshire) | Trevelyan, Charles Philips | |
| Sloan, Thomas Henry | Villiers, Ernest Amherst |
Main Question put, and agreed to.
§ Ordered, that Committees do not sit To-morrow, being Ascension Day, until Two of the Clock.