§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Herbert Samuel)I beg to move "That leave be given to introduce a Bill to assimilate the time adopted for use in Ireland to that adopted for use in Great Britain."
I wish to ask leave to introduce a one-Clause Bill dealing wth the assimilation of the time in Great Britain and Ireland. Perhaps the House will allow me to make a brief statement on the subject on the introduction of the Bill, in the hope that, perhaps, it may obviate discussion in the later stages of the Bill. As the House is aware, the clock time in Ireland is twenty-five minutes behind the time in this country. In all quarters in Ireland it has been pressed upon me that the hour should be assimilated. For the convenience of international communication almost all civilised countries in the world have adopted what is known as standard time, and the world is divided up for time purposes into zones, each of which has a time differing from the next by one hour. Eastern European time is two hours before Greenwich time, Central European time is one hour before Greenwich time, and Western European time is identical with Greenwich time. All the countries of Western Europe have Greenwich time, except Ireland. France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain all have standard time according to the standard zone. Ireland alone has hitherto been in isolation. A few years ago there was a strong movement in Ireland for the unification of the time, and the Chambers of Commerce of Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Derry, and other towns sent in resolutions in favour of this proposal. The Associated Chambers of Commerce in the United Kingdom also resolved in favour of the proposal, and a Bill for the purpose passed the House of Lords in 1912, but it was not considered by the House of Commons. As all Members for Ireland are no doubt aware, 73 the Dublin Chamber of Commerce has recently passed a resolution urging that the Government should make this proposal. The Belfast Chamber of Commerce has done the same, and also the London Chamber of Commerce. Several Nationalist Members of Ireland, and also Members representing Ulster counties, have asked me to introduce the Bill. The Astronomer Royal of Ireland and the Astronomer Royal of England have been consulted, and the Board of Trade, the Admiralty, the Post Office, and the Railway Executive Committee have all declared themselves in favour of this proposal. The reason why this Bill is introduced at this moment is that a convenient time for making the change is at the moment when we revert from summer time to normal time, in the early hours of the morning of the 1st October next. At that time the clocks throughout the United Kingdom will be put back one hour, and instead of making a double change in Ireland, it is suggested that if the clocks in Ireland were put back thirty-five minutes instead of one hour, then the unification long desired in Ireland would be effected without inconvenience. That would make good the previous difference of twenty-five minutes. In these circumstances I hope the Bill will meet with acceptance from the House.
§ Mr. DILLONI must confess that I am amazed to hear the Home Secretary's statement that he had received communications from all parties in Ireland in favour of this Bill. I cannot believe it. The right hon. Gentleman went on to say that a great number of Nationalist Members had asked him to introduce this Bill. I never heard of the Bill until, to my amazement, I saw it on the Paper this morning. It certainly never came before our party. When an attempt was made previously to alter Irish time, so far as my memory carries me, it was decisively defeated by our party, who objected to it. I do not like to take up another irrecon-
§
cilable attitude towards this proposal. Although I am opposed to it, I should like to keep an open mind, but I am certainly absolutely astonished that the right hon. Gentleman, without consulting the Irish party at all, should put a notice on the Paper to alter the whole time of Ireland, without giving us time to consider the matter or let him know what our views are. Surely, although we are under a Unionist Administration, we have a right to keep our clocks. It is a most unfortunate development that suddenly, on the very eve of the announcement of yesterday, we should have the Home Secretary coming forward without saying "By your leave" to the Irish party, and proposing to alter the whole of our clocks in Ireland. I am afraid he is infected by the new spirit. We are not at all alarmed or terrified by the fact that we are isolated from the rest of Europe. We are isolated by what Disraeli called
the melancholy ocean.
We have managed to get along for 600 or 700 years—I do not know how long ago it was that clocks were invented—without assimilating our time to that of Great Britain. We have got along very well. It reminds us that we are coming into a strange country. I decline to be a party to the alteration of Irish time to English time until I have had an opportunity of consulting my Constituents, who are very good authorities, because nearly every voter I have comes across the Channel every year to cut your hay and gather your harvest and has therefore great experience in the difference of time. Having sat for thirty years for my Constituency without a contest, I have never heard a single one of my Constituents complain of the difference of time. Therefore I utterly decline to be a party to this Bill until I have had an opportunity of consulting my Constituents, and I intend to divide against it.
§ Question put.
§ The House divided: Ayes, 178; Noes, 54.
75| Division No. 48.] | AYES. | [4.56 p.m. |
| Agg-Gardner, Sir James Tynte | Beach, William F. H. | Bowden, Major G. R. Harland |
| Agnew, Sir George William | Beale, Sir William Phipson | Bridgeman, William Clive |
| Allen, Arthur A. (Dumbartonshire) | Beck, Arthur Cecil | Broughton, Urban Hanlon |
| Asquith, Rt. Hon. Herbert Henry | Beckett, Hon. Gervate | Bull, Sir William James |
| Baird, John Lawrence | Bellairs, Commander C. W. | Burgoyne, Alan Hughes |
| Banbury, Rt. Hon. Sir F. G | Bann, Arthur Shirley (Plymouth) | Butcher, J. G. |
| Banner, Sir John S. Harmood | Bennett-Goldney, Francis | Byles, Sir William Pollard |
| Barnes, Rt. Hon. George N. | Bethell, Sir John Henry | Carew, C. R. S. |
| Barran, Sir John N. (Hawick Burghs) | Bird, Alfred | Carson, Rt. Hon. Sir Edward H. |
| Barrie, H. T. | Bliss, Joseph | Cater, John |
| Cave, Rt. Hon. Sir George | Hughes, Spencer Leigh | Roberts, Charles H. (Lincoln) |
| Cawley, Sir Frederick (Prestwich) | Hume-Williams, William Ellis | Roberts, George H. (Norwich) |
| Chaloner, Colonel R. G. W. | Hunter, Sir Charles Rodk. | Roberts, Sir J. H. (Denbighs) |
| Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. J. A. | Illingworth, Albert H. | Roberts, S. (Sheffield, Ecclesall) |
| Chancellor, H. G. | Jardine, Sir J. (Roxburgh) | Robertson, Rt. Hon. John M. |
| Churchill, Rt. Hon. Winston S. | Jones, H. Haydn (Merioneth) | Robinson, Sidney |
| Clyde, J. Avon | Jones, Leil (Notts, Rushcliffe) | Roe, Sir Thomas |
| Cochrane, Cecil Algernon | Joynson-Hicks, William | Rowlands, James |
| Collins, Sir Stephen (Lambeth) | King, Joseph | Russell, Rt. Hon. Thomas W. |
| Compton-Rickett, Rt. Hon. Sir J. | Kinloch-Cooke, Sir Clement | Samuel, Rt. Hon. Sir Harry (Norwood) |
| Coote, William | Lambert, Richard (Wilts, Cricklade) | Samuel, Rt. Hon. H. L. (Cleveland) |
| Cory, James H. (Cardiff) | Larmor, Sir J. | Samuel, J. (Stockton-on-Tees) |
| Craig, Ernest (Cheshire, Crewe) | Layland-Barratt, Sir F. | Smith, Sir Swire (Keighley, Yorks) |
| Craik, Sir Henry | Lloyd, George Butler (Shrewsbury) | Spear, Sir John Ward |
| Crooks, Rt. Hon. William | Lockwood, Rt. Hon. Lt. Colonel A. R. | Stewart, Gershom |
| Dairymple, Hon. H. H. | Lowe, Sir F. W. (Birm., Edgbaston) | Strauss, Arthur (Paddington, North) |
| Dalziel, Davison (Brixton) | M'Callum, Sir John M. | Strauss, Edward A. (Southwark, West) |
| Davies, David (Montgomery Co.) | MacCaw, William J. MacGeagh | Sutton, John E. |
| Davies, Timothy (Lincs., Louth) | Macdonald, Rt. Hon. J. M. (Falk. B'ghs) | Sykes, Col. Alan John (Ches., Knutsf'd) |
| Davies, M. Vaughan- (Cardigan) | Macmaster, Donald | Terrell, G. (Wilts, N.W.) |
| Elverston, Sir Harold | Macnamara, Rt. Hon. Dr. T. J. | Thomas, James Henry |
| Essex, Sir Richard Walter | McNeill, Ronald (Kent, St. Augustine's) | Toulmin, Sir George |
| Faber, George D. (Clapham) | Malcolm, Ian | Turton, Edmund Russborough |
| Fell, Arthur | Marks, Sir George Croydon | Valentia, Viscount |
| Fenwick, Rt. Hon. Charles | Marshall, Arthur Harold | Walsh, Stephen (Lancs., Ince) |
| Fisher, Rt. Hon. W. Hayes | Middlemore, John Throgmorton | Walton, Sir Joseph |
| Flannery, Sir J. Fortescue | Morgan, George Hay | Wardle, George J. |
| Fletcher, John Samuel | Merison, Hector | Wason, Rt. Hon. E. (Clackmannan) |
| Gilbert, J. D. | Morton, Alpheus Cleophas | White, J. Dundas (Glasgow, Tradeston) |
| Goddard, Rt. Hon. Sir Daniel Ford | Murray, Major Hon. Arthur C. | Whiteley, Herbert James |
| Grant, J. A. | Newdegate, F. A. | Whittaker, Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas P. |
| Greenwood, Sir G. G. (Peterborough) | Nicholson, Sir Charles N. (Doncaster) | Wiles, Thomas |
| Greig, Colonel James William | Nicholson, William G. (Petersfield) | Wilkle, Alexander |
| Harcourt, Rt. Hon. Lewis (Rossendale) | O'Neill, Dr. Charles (Armagh, S.) | Williams, Aneurin (Durham, N.W.) |
| Harcourt, Robert V. (Montrose) | O'Sullivan, Timothy | Williams, Col. Sir Robert (Dorset, W.) |
| Harmsworth, Cecil (Luton, Beds) | Paget, Almeric Hugh | Williamson, Sir Archibald |
| Harris, Henry Percy (Paddington, S.) | Parkes, Ebenezer | Wilson, W. T. (Westhoughton) |
| Harris, Percy A. (Leicester, S.) | Pearce, Sir Robert (Staffs, Leek) | Wilson, Maj. Sir M. (Bethnal Green, S.W.) |
| Haslam Lewis | Pearce, Sir William (Limehouse) | Winfrey, Sir Richard |
| Helme, Sir Nerval Watson | Pease, Herbert Pike (Darlington) | Wing, Thomas Edward |
| Henry, Sir Charles | Pease, Rt. Hon. Joseph A. (Rotherham) | Wood, Rt Hon. T. McKinnon (Glasgow) |
| Hewins, William Albert Samuel | Pennefather, De Fonblanque | Wortley, Rt. Hon. C. B. Stuart- |
| Hibbert, Sir Henry F. | Perkins, Walter F. | Yate, Colonel C. E. |
| Higham, John Sharp | Phillips, Sir Owen (Chester) | Young, William (Perth, East) |
| Hill, James (Bradford, C.) | Pryce-Jones, Colonel E. | Younger, Sir George |
| Hodge, John | Radford, Sir George Heynes | Yoxall, Sir James Henry |
| Hohler, G. F. | Raffan, Peter Wilson | |
| Holmes, Daniel Turner | Randles, Sir John S. | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.— |
| Hope, James Fitzalan (Sheffield) | Rawlinson, John Frederick Peel | Mr. Gulland and Lord Edmund Talbot. |
| Howard, Hon. Geoffrey | Rea, Walter Russell (Scarborough) | |
| Hudson, Walter | Rees, Sir J. D. (Nottingham, E.) | |
| NOES. | ||
| Adamson, William | Hackett, John | O'Brien, Patrick (Kilkenny) |
| Anderson, W. C. | Harmsworth, R. L. (Caithness-shire) | O'Connor, T. P. (Liverpool) |
| Ashley, Wilfrid W. | Hayden, John Patrick | O'Doherty, Philip |
| Baker, Joseph Allen (Finsbury, E.) | Herbert, Major-Gen. Sir Ivor (Mon. S.) | O'Shaughnessy, P. J. |
| Boyle, Daniel (Mayo, North) | Hobhouse, Rt. Hon. Charles E. H. | O'Shee, James John |
| Brady, Patrick Joseph | Hogge, James Myles | Pratt, J. W. |
| Bryce, J. Annan | Joyce, Michael | Pringle, William M. R. |
| Condon, Thomas Joseph | Keating, Matthew | Reddy, Michael |
| Crumley, Patrick | Kelly, Edward | Rendall, Athelstan |
| Cullinan, John | Kilbride, Denis | Richardson, Thomas (Whitehaven) |
| Devlin, Joseph | Lough, Rt. Hon. Thomas | Rowntree, Arnold |
| Dickinson, Rt. Hon. Willoughby H. | MacNeill, J. G. Swift (Donegal, South) | Smyth, Thomas F. (Leitrim, S.) |
| Dillon, John | Martin, Joseph | Warner, Sir Thomas Courtenay T. |
| Donovan, John Thomas | Meagher, Michael | White, Patrick (Meath, North) |
| Doris, William | Meehan, Francis E. (Leitrim, N.) | Whitty, Patrick Joseph |
| Fitzgibbon, John | Meux, Hon. Sir Hedworth | Williams, Llewelyn (Carmarthen) |
| Flavin, Michael Joseph | Molloy, Michael | |
| Graham, Edward John | Nolan, Joseph | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.— |
| Gwynn, Stephen Lucius (Galway) | Nugent, J. D. (College Green) | Mr. Lundon and Mr. Hazleton. |
Bill read the third time, and passed.
§ Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. HERBERT SAMUEL, Mr. T. W. RUSSELL, and Mr. BRACE. Presented accordingly, and read the first time; to be read a second time To-morrow, and to be printed. [Bill 80.]