§ Sir W. BYLESMay I ask you, Mr. Speaker, if you consider it proper to say some words to hon. Members who intend to address the House to-night as to the 2300 length of their speeches. There is only a period of six and a half hours before the Division. We are promised four Front Bench speeches and one by the Irish Leader, and these may be calculated to occupy perhaps four hours. That will leave two and a half hours for all the other Members of the House, and if they occupy half an hour each, only five Members will be able to address the House. If they were cut down to a quarter of an hour we might hear ten Members, and it is because I believe the House would prefer to hear ten Members that I venture to address this question to you.
§ Mr. SPEAKERMy views about long speeches are, I think, sufficiently well known. I am afraid that no good purpose would be served by representing to those Members who are going to speak to-day my inclination towards hearing as little of them as possible.