§ The PRIME MINISTERIn moving the Motion which stands in my name with regard to the Business of the House, I must make some modification of it in consequence of the promise I have just given to the Leader of the Opposition. I shall move my Motion in the following form:—
"That Government Business shall have precedence of all other Orders of the Day and of Notices of Motion this day and on Friday; that this day, and on Thurs day and Friday, the proceedings upon the Coal Mines (Minimum Wage) Bill and upon the Business of Supply be not interrupted under the Standing Order (Sittings of the House), and may be entered upon and proceeded with at any hour, though opposed; and that on Thursday and Friday the proceedings on the Coal Mines (Minimum Wage) Bill have precedence of other business."
I think that will carry out the arrangement to which I have come.
§ Lord HUGH CECILI cannot help thinking, though the Motion is in the circumstances irresistible, it reflects very little credit on the foresight and statesmanship of the Government that such a Motion should be necessary. The coal strike has long been foreseen, and the contingency which has arisen must also have been long foreseen. The Government have had plenty of time to frame their plan and plenty of time to foresee every detail of the situation as it is. There is no reason whatever why they should not have introduced this Bill, whatever it is, when the Prime Minister made his statement on the failure of the first negotiations, and after the outbreak of the strike. The Bill need not have been proceeded with if they were reluctant to carry it into law. It could have been laid on the Table, subject to public criticism, and to the criticism of this House; and it might even have been slowly advanced to the Second Reading and Committee stages. In that way the House could have proceeded with efficiency and dignity. Members 1720 could have made up their minds on all the details of the circumstances; and they would have had an opportunity of consulting those in the country more expert in the matter than they could be. In every way the proceedings of Parliament could have been better conducted. The Government, however, have left the matter until the last possible moment, until the crisis is so acute and the situation so terrible that all considerations of ordinary Parliamentary procedure must be of secondary importance. But that does not make it unnecessary to protest against the action of the Government in leaving their steps to the last minute. Why could not the Government have said, "If the occasion arises, then this is what we will propose." We might then have legislated deliberately and with dignity and efficiency. Now we shall have to do what we have to do in a hurry with very inefficient consideration, and with very great discredit to Parliamentary procedure. I make that protest.
§ Sir F. BANBURYI would wish to point out to the Prime Minister and to the House that this Motion covers two separate and distinct fields. It first of all deals with the question of Supply. I do not propose to oppose the taking by the Government of the time of the House for the consideration of the Mines Bill, but I wish to ask the Prime Minister whether under cover of taking the time of the House for the consideration of the Mines Bill he is also going to suspend the Eleven o'clock Rule, as he does under this Motion, and, after this House has perhaps sat for ten, twelve, or fourteen hours, considering what I think everyone will admit to be one of the most important measures that have ever been submitted to this House during the last twenty years—a measure changing the whole economic conditions of labour and employment in this country—he is going to call upon us at five, six, or some early hour in the morning to enter upon the business of Supply? My hon. Friend says the Government have been dilatory in their conduct of business with regard to the mines dispute. I will not enter into that, but I want to get an assurance from the Government that they will not take advantage of the coal mines dispute and the general wish and desire to provide time for the consideration of that measure to press forward other business which has nothing whatever to do with the mines dispute? I would further ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he would not give an 1721 undertaking, in the event of there being a large number of Members who desire to speak on the coal mines dispute, that the House will not be kept sitting till the early hours of the morning. We know what a sitting is like at three o'clock in the morning. It is perfectly impossible that the minds of Members can decide on a question like this if they are to be kept up till three or four in the morning. I quite agree that the Eleven o'clock Rule should be suspended, but it should be used with judgment and should be confined only to the Coal Mines Bill and that Bill should not be carried on after, say, one o'clock. I trust the Prime Minister will give us some assurance on that point.
§ Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThe Prime Minister will remember that when this matter of the distribution of time was dealt with yesterday there was a little discussion as to the Supply which it is necessary to take in order to comply with the law, and the right hon. Gentleman said that all he desired was to take such Votes and Supply before the end of the financial year as were needed to comply with the law. We suggested to the Prime Minister across the Table in a necessarily very in formal way that all he requires on the Navy for that purpose is Vote A and one Money Vote. We shall be glad before we are asked to vote on this Resolution or before this Resolution is put from the Chair to know that the Prime Minister will not use it to take more than is required to keep the law, that is to say, the Vote for the men and one Money Vote; and we should be obliged if he would say for which Money Vote he proposes to ask.
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe situation is changed because I have acceded to the request of the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition. We are going to take the Navy Estimates to-morrow so that we shall have the whole of the morning sitting to-morrow up to a quarter past eight.
§ Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINDoes the right hon. Gentleman propose to take other Navy Votes than the two which are required in order to comply with the law after eleven o'clock?
§ The PRIME MINISTERTo-night?
§ Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINAny night under the suspension of the Eleven 1722 o'clock Rule. If he gets half-a-dozen Votes by 8.15 to-morrow, I have nothing to say. That is the ordinary procedure. What I want to be assured is that he is not going to use the suspension of the Eleven o'clock Rule for any further purpose than to secure compliance with the law.
§ The PRIME MINISTERThat is so. To-morrow, tinder the new arrangement, we shall have the whole morning sitting up to 8.15 to take our Naval Votes. My Resolution does not cover to-morrow night. We want Votes A, 1, 2, 13, 14, and 15, and we shall have ample time to morrow.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI have promised another day.
§ Sir F. BANBURYDoes the right hon. Gentleman intend to keep the House sit ting very late?
§ The PRIME MINISTERWe want to get the Bill through.
§ Sir JOHN BARRANI do not wish to take up the time of the House, but may I be allowed to say one word in regard to my Motion [relating to the Tweed Fisheries], which was to have come on to night, and which is the first victim of the altered circumstances, the necessity for which I do not dispute. I wish to say, firstly, that that Motion, although it had a limited application only, was a matter on which those concerned feel very deeply and very strongly, and have done so for many years, and there will be great disappointment that it is not to be discussed. Secondly, the matter is of such a nature that it is impossible to raise it later in the Session on the Consolidated Fund Bill. Of course, it calls for legislation, and I hope the right hon. Gentleman will take these facts into consideration, and will see whether he cannot give the Motion, and those interested in it, the same consideration which, I understand, he has promised to others affected by the same set of circumstances, for which no one is to blame.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI sympathise very much with my hon. Friend. I can only say I will give sympathetic consideration to his suggestion.
§ Question put, and agreed to.