§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House do now adjourn."— [Sir R. Sanders.]
§ Lord R. CECILI regret that the Government have thought it necessary at five minutes to six to adjourn the House. Even if they are not prepared to proceed with their own Bills, there are other important Bills, private Bills, on the Paper. I take an interest in the first of these Bills, the Local Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill, towards 77 which, I understand, the Minister who was responsible for that Department, but who has ceased to be responsible for it, was favourable. I should have been glad if the Government had seen their way to allow the House to sit, at any rate, until the dinner hour, while we discussed the merits of the Second Beading of that Bill. There are some Notices down on the Paper for its rejection, which, I agree raise important questions, but no question which would be likely to take a long time to discuss. There are also other Bills of an interesting character on the Paper. It is rather regrettable that having brought us back to London in weather which does not invite the attendance in London of a large number of Members of the House, the Government should so arrange their business that the House is to adjourn at five minutes to six, while on the Paper there is business which might well occupy the attention of the House. I trust that the Government will be able to give us some reason why it is necessary to adjourn the House at this early hour.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYI should like to make a protest against this invasion of the rights of the private Member. I have had only one private Bill this Session, and I am glad to say it has passed its Second Reading. May
§ I call attention to Bill No. 10 on the Order Paper, Importation of Plumage (Prohibition) (No. 3) Bill? Surely there could be no objection to giving that; Bill a Second Reading. Why do the Whips come down on us like a steam roller and adjourn the House because they have arranged their business so badly that we have finished at five minutes to six? Presently they will be moving the closure and gagging discussion on most important business.
§ Mr. BOTTOMLEYThere is the question of the national crisis.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYYes, there is the great national crisis. We ought to have been discussing that, and I regret very much that we burked questions on that subject at Question time. It is up to hon. Members who have some regard for the rights of the private Member to support us on this matter. We are not putting forward these Bills from a party point of view; they are not party Bills at all, and it is scandalous that the Government should adjourn the House in this manner and not give private Members a chance. I shall certainly vote against the Adjournment.
§ Question put, "That this House do now adjourn."
§ The House divided: Ayes, 138; Noes, 60.
79| Division No. 59.] | AYES. | [6.0 p.m. |
| Amery, Lieut.-Col. Leopold C. M. S. | Elliot, Capt. Walter E. (Lanark) | Lambert, Rt. Hon. George |
| Balrd, Sir John Lawrence | Evans, Ernest | Lewis, Rt. Hon. J. H. (Univ., Wales) |
| Banbury, Rt. Hon. Sir Frederick G. | Falle, Major Sir Bertram G. | Lewis, T. A. (Glam., Pontypridd) |
| Barlow, Sir Montague | Farquharson, Major A. C. | Lindsay, William Arthur |
| Barnett, Major R. W. | Fell, Sir Arthur | Lister, Sir R. Ashton |
| Barrie, Charles Coupar | FitzRoy, Captain Hon. E. A. | Lloyd, George Butler |
| Beauchamp, Sir Edward | Flannery, Sir James Fortescue | Locker-Lampson, G. (Wood Green) |
| Benn, Sir A. S. (Plymouth, Drake) | Geddes, Rt. Hon. Sir E. (Camb'dge) | Lorden, John William |
| Bennett, Sir Thomas Jewell | George, Rt. Hon. David Lloyd | M'Curdy, Rt. Hon. C. A. |
| Bethell, Sir John Henry | Gilbert, James Daniel | M'Lean, Lieut.-Col. Charles W. W. |
| Birchall, Major J. Dearman | Gould, James C. | Macnamara, Rt. Hon. Dr. T. J. |
| Bird, Sir A. (Wolverhampton, West) | Greer, Harry | McNeill, Ronald (Kent, Canterbury) |
| Borwick, Major G. O. | Greig, Colonel James William | Macpherson, Rt. Hon. James J. |
| Bowyer, Captain G. E. W. | Gretton, Colonel John | Maddocks, Henry |
| Broad, Thomas Tucker | Guest, Major O. (Leic., Loughboro') | Magnus, Sir Philip |
| Buckley, Lieut.-Colonel A. | Guinness, Lieut.-Col. Hon. W. E. | Mallalieu, F. W. |
| Bull, Rt. Hon. Sir William James | Hacking, Captain Douglas H. | Malone, Major P. B. (Tottenham, S.) |
| Burn, Col. C. R. (Devon, Torquay) | Harmsworth, Hon. E. C. (Kent) | Martin, Captain A. E. |
| Butcher, Sir John George | Henderson, Major V. L. (Tradeston) | Meysey-Thompson, Lieut.-Col. E. C. |
| Casey, T. W. | Hennessy, Major J. R. G. | Middlebrook, Sir William |
| Chamberlain, Rt. Hn. J. A. (Birm., W.) | Henry, Denis S. (Londonderry, S.) | Mitchell, William Lane |
| Chamberlain, N. (Birm., Ladywood) | Herbert, Dennis (Hertford, Watford) | Molson, Major John Elsdale |
| Churchman, Sir Arthur | Hewart, Rt. Hon. Sir Gordon | Moore, Major-General Sir Newton J. |
| Clough, Robert | Hickman, Brig.-General Thomas E. | Morden, Lieut.-Col. W. Grant |
| Coates, Major Sir Edward F. | Hoare, Lieut.-Colonel Sir S. J. G. | Moreing, Captain Algernon H. |
| Cockerill, Brigadier-General G. K. | Holbrook, Sir Arthur Richard | Morison, Rt. Hon. Thomas Brash |
| Colvin, Brig.-General Richard Beale | Hood, Joseph | Neal, Arthur |
| Courthope, Lieut.-Col. George L. | Horne, Sir R. S. (Glasgow, Hillhead) | Newman, Colonel J. R. P. (Finchley) |
| Craik, Rt. Hon. Sir Henry | Hunter, General Sir A. (Lancaster) | Nicholson, William G. (Petersfield) |
| Davidson, J. C. c. (Hemel Hempstead) | Hurst, Lieut.-Colonel Gerald B. | Norton-Griffiths, Lieut.-Col. Sir John |
| Davidson, Major-General Sir J. H. | Jackson, Lieut.-Colonel Hon. F. S. | Parker, James |
| Denniss, Edmund R. B. (Oldham) | Jameson, J. Gordon | Pease, Rt. Hon. Herbert Pike |
| Doyle, N. Grattan | Jesson, C. | Pickering, Lieut.-Colonel Emll W. |
| Edgar, Clifford B. | King, Captain Henry Douglas | Pownall, Lieut.-Colonel Assheton |
| Edwards, Hugh (Glam., Neath) | Kinloch-Cooke, Sir Clement | Raw, Lieutenant-Colonel N. |
| Rawilnson, John Frederick Peel | Stanier, Captain Sir Beville | Wilson, Daniel M. (Down, West) |
| Rees, Capt. J. Tudor(Barnstaple) | Strauss, Edward Anthony | Wilson, Colonel Leslie O. (Reading) |
| Reid, D. D. | Sutherland, Sir William | Wise, Frederick |
| Roberts, Rt. Hon. G. H. (Norwich) | Thomas-Stanford, Charles | Wood, Hon. Edward F. L. (Ripon) |
| Robinson, Sir T. (Lanes., Stretford) | Thomson, F. C. (Aberdeen, South) | Woolcock, William James U. |
| Samuel, A. M. (Surrey, Farnham) | Thomson, Sir W. Mitchell (Maryhill) | Worthington-Evans, Rt. Hon. Sir L. |
| Sanders, Colonel Sir Robert A. | Thorpe, Captain John Henry | Yate, Colonel Sir Charles Edward |
| Scott, A. M. (Glasgow, Bridgeton) | Tryon, Major George Clement | Yeo, Sir Alfred William |
| Scott, Leslie (Liverpool Exchange) | Wallace, J. | Young, Lieut.-Com. E. H. (Norwich) |
| Shortt, Rt. Hon. E. (N'castle-on-T.) | Waring, Major Walter | |
| Simm, M. T. | Warren, Lieut.-Col. Sir Alfred H. | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.— |
| Smith, Sir Allan M. (Croydon, South) | Wild, Sir Ernest Edward | Lord E. Talbot and Mr. Dudley |
| Ward. | ||
| NOES. | ||
| Adamson, Rt. Hon. William | Henderson, Rt. Hon. A. (Widnes) | Sexton, James |
| Barker, G. (Monmouth, Abertillery) | Hirst, G. H. | Shaw, Thomas (Preston) |
| Bottomley, Horatio W. | Hodge, Rt. Hon. John | Short, Alfred (Wednesbury) |
| Bowerman, Rt. Hon. Charles W. | Hogge, James Myles | Smith, W. R. (Wellingborough) |
| Briant, Frank | Hopkinson, A. (Lancaster, Moss'ey) | Spencer, George A. |
| Brown, James (Ayr and Bute) | Irving, Dan | Swan, J. E. |
| Cairns, John | John, William (Rhondda, West) | Thomas, Rt. Hon. James H. (Derby) |
| Carter, W. (Nottingham, Mansfield) | Jones, J. J. (West Ham, Silvertown) | Thomson, T. (Middlesbrough, West) |
| Cecil, Rt. Hon. Lord R. (Hitchin) | Lawson, John J. | Thorne, W. (West Ham, Plalstow) |
| Clynes, Rt. Hon. J. R. | Lowther, Major C. (Cumberland, N.) | Walsh, Stephen (Lancaster, Ince) |
| Conway, Sir W. Martin | Lunn, William | Wedgwood, Colonel J. C. |
| Entwistle, Major C. F. | MacVeagh, Jeremiah | White, Charles F. (Derby, Western) |
| Graham, D. M. (Lanark, Hamilton) | Mills, John Edmund | Wignall, James |
| Graham, R. (Nelson and Colne) | Murray, Dr. D. (Inverness & Ross) | Williams, Aneurin (Durham, Consett) |
| Graham, W. (Edinburgh, Central) | Newbould, Alfred Ernest | Wilson, W. Tyson (Westhoughton) |
| Griffiths, T. (Monmouth, Pontypool) | O'Connor, Thomas P. | Wintringham, T. |
| Grundy, T. W. | Ormsby-Gore, Hon. W. | Wood, Major M. M. (Aberdeen, C.) |
| Guest, J. (York, W. R., Hemsworth) | Richardson, R. (Houghton-le-Spring) | Young, Robert (Lancaster, Newton) |
| Hall, F. (York, W. R., Normanton) | Robertson, John | |
| Hallas, Eldred | Rose, Frank H. | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.— |
| Hartshorn, Vernon | Royce, William Stapleton | Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy and |
| Mr. A. Davies. |
§ Adjourned accordingly at six minutes after Six o'clock.