§ It shall be lawful to enlist men compulsorily for any work that may be required for the defence of the realm, and to bring such men under military discipline.
The CHAIRMANThe proposed new Clause standing in the name of the hon. Baronet the Member of the City of London is outside the scope of the Bill.
§ Sir F. BANBURYMay I point out that the title of the Bill is a Bill to extend the Defence of the Realm Consolidation Act, 1914. My Clause deals with the Defence of the Realm; therefore all it does is to extend the Defence of the Realm Consolidation Act. That is the title. If the right hon. Gentleman wished to stop an Amendment of this description he could 1576 have done it perfectly well by giving the Bill a different title. If he had entitled the Bill a Bill to extend the Defence of the Realm Act by dealing with the liquor traffic, or something of that sort, then my Amendment would have been out of order. My Amendment deals with the question of munitions of war. The object of the Bill is to facilitate the creation of munitions of war. My new Clause deals with that, and I submit it is in order, because it deals with what is the object of the Bill.
The CHAIRMANThe argument of the hon. Baronet would carry us a long way. Perhaps he would apply his mind to see under that doctrine what Amendments would be in order? As a matter of fact I had to decide this very matter only a short time ago. The Government desired to introduce at a later stage of the Bill, after the Bill had passed its Second Reading, an entirely novel question. They desired to move an Amendment, and I had to decide it was not a proper thing to do, as it undoubtedly raised a new issue at that stage of the Bill. What I applied to the Government I am afraid I must apply to the hon. Baronet.