HC Deb 01 July 1918 vol 107 cc1410-2
Mr. BILLING

I beg leave to move the Adjournment of the House.

Mr. SPEAKER called on Mr. Roch.

Mr. BILLING

On a point of Order, Sir. I asked your permission on Thursday last, in the event of the Government taking no action in this matter, to move the Adjournment of the House to-day, and, having regard to certain other matters which have occurred and meetings which have taken place in this country on Sunday, I now beg to call your attention to the fact that I gave notice of my desire to move the Adjournment of the House on Thursday last.

Mr. SPEAKER

Since then, the hon. Member may have observed, a blocking notice has been put down on that topic, which will prevent this question coming on.

Mr. BILLING

Might I, in my ignorance of Parliamentary procedure, ask what a "blocking notice" may be, and whether it is in the interests of the enemy or of this country that such a notice should have been put down?

Mr. SPEAKER

If the hon. Member will consult either Gentlemen sitting on his right or left, they will be in a position to tell him.

Mr. BILLING (later)

On a point of Order. May I ask where one can discover—they are not on the Order Paper to-day—that any blocking Motions exist for the benefit of preventing a Debate taking place on the question of naturalised aliens in this country?

Mr. SPEAKER

If the hon. Member will Kindly look at the Order Book, he will see that it stands on the last page of the Notices of Motions. [MR. HOLT:—Presence of Aliens in the United Kingdom.—To call attention to the presence of aliens, and, in particular, to enemy aliens and aliens of enemy descent, antecedents, relationship, and association, and the businesses, trades, professions, and occupations which they are carrying on; and to move a Resolution.]

Mr. BILLING

Are we to understand that all that it is necessary to do, to prevent free speech in this House on so urgent and important a question as the intern- ment of enemy aliens, is for one of the friends of the Government to put down a blocking Motion?

Mr. SPEAKER

I cannot undertake to instruct the hon. Member in the elements of Parliamentary procedure.

Mr. BILLING [HON. MEMBERS: "Sit down!"]

I am not going to sit down all the time Germans are running about this country.

Mr. SPEAKER

I call the attention of the House to the continued disorderly conduct of the hon. Member for East Herts, and I call upon the hon. Member to leave the House during the remainder of the sitting.

Mr. BILLING

On a point of Order—

Mr. SPEAKER

I cannot listen to any further points of Order. This is not a Court of law. If the hon. Member will not carry out my injunction to leave the House the House will probably consider the question of suspending him.

Mr. BILLING

I am here to do my duty, and I have no intention of leaving the House. I have no intention of leaving this House until the question of the internment of enemy aliens in this country is allowed to be discussed.

Mr. SPEAKER

I will not be shouted down by the hon. Member, and I warn him that if he does not carry out my orders he will stand the chance of being suspended by an Order of the House, and that suspension will last some little time.

Mr. BILLING

I feel it my duty to say—and I ask you to consider—

Mr. SPEAKER

I name you, Mr. Billing, for disregarding the authority of the Chair.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER (Mr. Bonar Law)

I beg to move, "That Mr. Billing be suspended from the service of the House."

Question, "That Mr. Billing be suspended from the service of the House," put, and agreed to.

Mr. SPEAKER

I call upon the hon. Member to withdraw in consequence of the decision of the House. Do I understand the hon. Member disregards the authority of the House and will not submit to the Orders of the House?

Mr. BILLING

I am doing what I conceive to be my duty.

Mr. SPEAKER

I ask the Serjeant-at-Arms to remove the hon. Member.

The Serjeant-at-Arms approached Mr. Billing, who declined to withdraw.

The SERJEANT-AT-ARMS (having advanced to the Table)

The hon. Member refuses to obey your order.

Mr. SPEAKER

I shall suspend the Sitting of the House until such time as the hon. Member has left, and I call upon the officers to remove him while the House is suspended.

Sitting suspended, under Standing Order No. 21, at Ten minutes after Four o'clock.

The hon. Member for East Herts having been removed, Mr. Speaker resumed the Chair at Twelve minutes after Four o'clock.

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