§ Mr. MAXTONI beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely,
the very heavy fall in the last 24 hours in the value of the pound and the failure of the Government to cope with the situation.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI am afraid that that Motion could not certainly come under Standing Order No. 10. It does not seem to be at all applicable to that Order—not in the way that I interpret it.
§ Mr. MAXTONI am bound to accept your Ruling if you insist on it, but it seems to me that the matter is urgent, that it is definite, and that it is of considerable public importance, and, as far as I know the business of the House, there is no other means that the House has open to it to have this matter brought before it in the next few days.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe latter part of the Motion is in the form of a Vote of Censure on the Government, and there is an occasion for that in the next few days.
§ Mr. MAXTONI do not want to press this unduly, but, assuming that the situation becomes definitely worse than it is to-day, shall I be in order in moving this again to-morrow, in the hope that you may take a different view of the situation then?
§ Mr. SPEAKERNot in this particular form, because there is no Minister who is responsible for this situation.
§ Mr. D. M. MASONIf this is an urgent matter of very grave importance and 40 946 Members ask for it, will you not consider it, Mr. Speaker?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI have only certain powers under Standing Order No. 10, and this is obviously a Motion which does not come under that Order.
§ Mr. ANEURIN BEVANIf it is the wish of Members to direct the attention of the House to a serious matter of this kind, what means are there open to hon. Members to do so?
§ Mr. SPEAKERA Motion can be put on the Order Paper, for which, I am sure, the Government would give time.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODI would like to ask you, Mr. Speaker, if this is not urgent and definite and of public importance, and on which ground do you turn it down?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI do not propose to argue the meanings of those several words. I have given my Ruling that it does not come under Standing Order No. 10, and that I cannot allow it.
§ Mr. THORNEIs it not a fact that the Government are absolutely responsible, in consequence of going off the Gold Standard, and surely there must be some Motion to deal with that situation?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe responsibility of the Government, happily for me, is not one of the things that I must decide.