§ 3.29 p.m.
§ Mr. LANSBURYMay I ask the Lord President of the Council what the business is for Friday?
§ Mr. BALDWINIn the event of the Committee stage being taken to-morrow night, we shall take the Third Reading of the Cattle Industry (Emergency Provisions) Bill as the first Order on Friday. The other business to be taken on that day will be the Report stage and Third Reading of the Post Office (Amendment) Bill, the Second Reading of the Superannuation Bill, of the Northern Ireland Land Purchase (Winding-up) Bill, and of the Regimental Charitable Funds Bill [Lords], and the Committee stage of the necessary Money Resolution. If there is time, other Orders will be taken.
§ Mr. LANSBURYMay I ask the Lord President of the Council a question about the Motion for suspending the Eleven o'clock Rule to-day? Will he tell the House what business he proposes to take?
§ Mr. BALDWINWe are suspending the Rule for the same reason that we suspended it the other day—because we are rather behindhand in the programme that we hoped to carry out. We hope that, by having a little easement of time at the end of the day, we may be able to make a little more progress, and, therefore, facilitate our summer holiday.
§ Mr. LANSBURYWe are all for good long holidays, but I would ask the right hon. Gentleman as I asked him last week, whether this is going to be regular? If we are going to suspend the Rule for the Government of India Bill on two days a week, it does really rob Members of the privilege of raising questions on the Adjournment, and it is rather a breach of the understanding. We may have to accept the decision of the majority, but we should not voluntarily accept the position that the Government of India Bill, which we all agreed to discuss in a friendly way, should be taken after eleven o'clock at night, and I shall vote against the Motion, but I think we shall have to enter a rather more emphatic protest if the Government propose to do this more or less regularly. We think that the time allotted ought to have been sufficient within the ordinary Parliamentary day.
§ Mr. BUCHANANThe Lord President of the Council talked about facilitating a long holiday. If we guarantee facilities for the Government of India Bill, will he guarantee to facilitate an early date for a General Election?
§ Mr. BALDWINI entirely agree with what the right hon. Gentleman has said, but I would remind him that this is only the second occasion in the eight days of the Committee stage. I should have the strongest objection to its becoming a regular procedure, but I think the House must remember that we are working for the first time under an arrangement which I still hope and believe will work out satisfactorily before long, and there must be a little elasticity, a little give and take, in the first two or three weeks 209 before it gets going. We are—not, I think, owing to any particular fault of any particular party—some little way behind the point where we hoped to be, and we hope to rectify that to some extent by what we are doing to-night. I hope very much that before many days are passed we may find the arrangement working as smoothly as we all hoped it would when it was come to.
§ Mr. CHURCHILLHow far does the right hon. Gentleman hope to get tonight?
§ Mr. BALDWINI do not think I can give an answer to that question. Probably, if the question were put to him, my right hon. Friend in charge of the Debate might be able to say something about it. I would rather not commit myself, as I am not sufficiently familiar with the details of the Bill.
§ Mr. MAXTONWill the right hon. Gentleman remember, when the Government ask the House to suspend the Eleven o'clock Rule, that practically all private Members' time has been taken away, and all private Members' opportunities have been taken away, so that the only way that remains to private Members who have important matters to raise is the
§ Adjournment time from 11 till 11.30. That was taken away from us last night by three Divisions which the Government forced upon the House—[Laughter]—I mean by bringing forward a proposal which was absolutely unnecessary from the point of view of the Opposition; and to-night also that opportunity is to be taken away. I am not complaining at this juncture. I entered into the agreement under which it was understood that occasionally the Eleven o'Clock Rule might have to be suspended. But I would ask the right hon. Gentleman to bear in mind the fact that the Adjournment time is practically the only private Members' time that is left, and not to take it away without good cause.
§ Mr. BALDWINI entirely agree; what the hon. Member has said is true; but I am inclined to think that there have been a large number of evenings on which subjects could have been raised and no advantage has been taken of them.
§
Motion made, and Question put,
That the Proceedings on Government Business be exempted, at this day's Sitting, from the provisions of the Standing Order (Sittings of the House).—[Mr. Baldwin.]
§ The House divided: Ayes, 264; Noes, 42.
211| Division No. 90.] | AYES. | [3.52 p.m. |
| Acland, Rt. Hon. Sir Francis Dyke | Brown, Ernest (Leith) | Davies, Maj. Geo. F. (Somerset, Yeovil) |
| Acland-Troyte, Lieut.-Colonel | Brown, Brig.-Gen. H. C. (Berks., Newb'y) | Davison, Sir William Henry |
| Adams, Samuel Vyvyan T. (Leeds, W.) | Browne, Captain A. C. | Denman, Hon. R. D. |
| Agnew, Lieut.-Com. P. G. | Buchan, John | Donner, P. W. |
| Albery, Irving James | Buchan-Hepburn, P. G. T. | Doran, Edward |
| Allen, Sir J. Sandeman (Liverp'l, W.) | Burnett, John George | Duckworth, George A. V. |
| Allen, William (Stoke-on-Trent) | Butler, Richard Austen | Dugdale, Captain Thomas Lionel |
| Amery, Rt. Hon. Leopold C. M. S. | Cadogan, Hon. Edward | Duggan, Hubert John |
| Anstruther-Gray, W. J. | Caporn, Arthur Cecil | Duncan, James A. L. (Kensington, N.) |
| Assheton, Ralph | Carver, Major William H. | Dunglass, Lord |
| Atholl, Duchess of | Castiereagh, Viscount | Eady, George H. |
| Bailey, Eric Alfred George | Cautley, Sir Henry S. | Elliot, Rt. Hon. Waiter |
| Baillie, Sir Adrian W. M. | Cayzer, Sir Charles (Chester, City) | Ellis, Sir R. Geoffrey |
| Baldwin, Rt. Hon. Stanley | Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. Sir. A,(Birm., W) | Elmley, Viscount |
| Balfour, Capt. Harold (I. of Thanet) | Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. N. (Edgbaston) | Emmott, Charles E. G. C. |
| Barclay-Harvey, C. M. | Chapman, Col. R. (Houghton-le-Spring) | Emrys-Evans, P. V. |
| Barton, Capt. Basil Kelsey | Christie, James Archibald | Evans, Capt. Ernest (Welsh Univ.) |
| Beauchamp, Sir Brograve Campbell | Churchill, Rt. Hon. Winston Spencer | Everard, W. Lindsay |
| Beaumont, Hon. R. E. B. (Portsm'th, C.) | Clarke, Frank | Foot, Isaac (Cornwall, Bodmin) |
| Belt, Sir Alfred L. | Cobb, Sir Cyril | Fox, Sir Gifford |
| Benn, Sir Arthur Shirley | Colfox, Major William Philip | Fremantle, Sir Francis |
| Bennett, Capt. Sir Ernest Nathaniel | Collins, Rt. Hon. Sir Godfrey | Fuller, Captain A. G. |
| Blaker, Sir Reginald | Colville, Lieut.-Colonel J. | Galbraith, James Francis Wallace |
| Bilndell, James | Cook, Thomas A. | Ganzoni, Sir John |
| Borodale, Viscount | Cooke, Douglas | Gillett, Sir George Masterman |
| Bossom, A. C. | Cooper, A. Duff | Gilmour, Lt.-Col. Rt. Hon. Sir John |
| Boulton, W. W. | Courtauld, Major John Sewell | Gledhill, Gilbert |
| Bowyer, Capt. Sir George E. W. | Craddock, Sir Reginald Henry | Glyn, Major Sir Ralph G. C. |
| Boyce, H. Leslie | Cranborne, Viscount | Goodman, Colonel Albert W. |
| Boyd-Carpenter, Sir Archibald | Croft, Brigadier-General Sir H. | Grattan-Doyle, Sir Nicholas |
| Braithwaite, J. G. (Hillsborough) | Crooke, J. Smedley | Gretton, Colonel Rt. Hon. John |
| Brass, Captain Sir William | Crookshank, Col. C. de Windt (Bootle) | Grigg, Sir Edward |
| Briscoe, Capt. Richard George | Crookshank, Capt. H. C. (Galnsb'ro) | Grimston, R. V. |
| Broadbent, Colonel John | Cross, R. H. | Gunston, Captain D. W. |
| Brocklebank, C. E. R. | Culverwell, Cyril Tom | Hacking, Rt. Hon. Douglas H. |
| Brown, Col. D. C. (N'th'I'd., Hexham) | Davidson, Rt. Hon. J. C. C. | Hamilton, Sir R. W.(Orkney & Z'tl'nd) |
| Hanbury, Cecil | McLean, Major Sir Alan | Rutherford, John (Edmonton) |
| Hannon, Patrick Joseph Henry | McLean, Dr. W. H. (Tradeston) | Rutherford, Sir John Hugo (Liverp'l) |
| Hartington, Marquess of | Mallalieu Edward Lancelot | Salmon, Sir Isldore |
| Harvey, Major Sir Samuel (Totnes) | Mander, Geoffrey le M. | Sait, Edward W. |
| Haslam, Henry (Horncastle) | Manningham-Buller, Lt.-Col. Sir M. | Samuel, Sir Arthur Michael (F'nham) |
| Haslam, Sir John (Bolton) | Margesson, Capt, Rt. Hon. H. D. R. | Samuel, Rt. Hon. Sir H. (Darwen) |
| Headlam, Lieut.-Col. Cuthbert M. | Marsden, Commander Arthur | Sanderson, Sir Frank Barnard |
| Hellgers, Captain F. F. A. | Mayhew, Lieut.-Colonel John | Savery, Samuel Servington |
| Heneage, Lieut.-Colonel Arthur P. | Mills, Sir Frederick (Leyton, E.) | Scone, Lord |
| Hepworth, Joseph | Mills, Major J. D. (New Forest) | Shaw, Helen B. (Lanark, Bothwell) |
| Herbert, Major J. A. (Monmouth) | Mitchell, Sir W. Lane (Streatham) | Simon, Rt. Hon. Sir John |
| Hills, Major Rt. Hon. John Waller | Molson, A. Hugh Elsdale | Sinclair, Maj. Rt. Hn. Sir A. (C'thness) |
| Hoare, Lt.-Col. Rt. Hon. Sir S. J. G. | Monsell, Rt. Hon. Sir B. Eyres | Smith, Louis W. (Sheffleid, Hallam) |
| Holdsworth, Herbert | Morgan, Robert H. | Smith, Sir Robert (Ab'd'n & K'dine, C.) |
| Horsbrugh, Florence | Morris, Owen Temple (Cardiff, E.) | Smithers, Sir Waldron |
| Howard, Tom Forrest | Morris-Jones, Dr. J. H. (Denbigh) | Somerset, Thomas |
| Hudson, Robert Spear (Southport) | Morrison, G. A. (Scottish Univer'ties) | Somerville, Sir Donald |
| Hunter, Dr. Joseph (Dumfries) | Muirhead, Lieut.-Colonel A. J. | Somerville, Annesley A. (Windsor) |
| Hunter, Capt. M. J. (Brigg) | Munro, Patrick | Soper, Richard |
| Hurst. Sir Gerald B. | Nation, Brigadier-General J. J. H. | Spencer, Captain Richard A. |
| Hutchison, W. D. (Essex, Romf'd) | Nicholson, Godfrey (Morpeth) | Spender-Clay, Rt. Hon. Herbert H. |
| Inskip, Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas W. H. | Nicholson, Rt. Hn. W. G. (Petersf'ld) | Stanley, Rt. Hon. Lord (Fylde) |
| Jackson, Sir Henry (Wandsworth, C.) | Normand, Rt. Hon. Wilfrid | Stanley, Rt. Hon. Oliver (W'morland) |
| James, Wing-Com. A. W. H. | Nunn, William | Stewart, William J. (Belfast, S.) |
| Jesson, Major Thomas E. | Oman, Sir Charles William C. | Stones, James |
| Jones, Henry Haydn (Merioneth) | Orr Ewing, I. L. | Strickland, Captain W. F. |
| Jones, Lewis (Swansea, West) | Palmer, Francis Noel | Sueter, Rear-Admiral Sir Murray F. |
| Kerr, Hamilton W. | Patrick, Colin M. | Sutcliffe, Harold |
| Kirkpatrick, William M. | Pearson, William G. | Tate, Mavis Constance |
| Knight, Holford | Petherick, M. | Taylor, Vice-Admiral E. A.(P'dd'gt'n, S.) |
| Knox, Sir Alfred | Peto, Geoffrey K.(W'verh'pt'n, Blist'n) | Thomas, Rt. Hon. J. H. (Derby) |
| Lamb, Sir Joseph Oulnton | Pickthorn, K. W. M. | Todd, Lt.-Col. A. J. K. (B'wick-on-T.) |
| Lambert, Rt. Hon. George | Pownall, Sir Assheton | Tree, Ronald |
| Leckie, J. A. | Radford, E. A. | Tryon, Rt. Hon. George Clement |
| Leech, Dr. J. W. | Raikes, Henry V. A. M. | Tufnell, Lieut.-Commander R. L. |
| Leighton, Major B. E. P. | Ramsay, Capt. A. H. M. (Midlothian) | Wallace, Captain D. E. (Hornsey) |
| Lennox-Boyd, A. T. | Ramsay, T. B. W. (Western Isles) | Ward, Lt.-Col, Sir A. L. (Hull) |
| Levy, Thomas | Ramsbotham, Herwaid | Ward, Sarah Adelaide (Cannock) |
| Lewis, Oswald | Ramsden, Sir Eugene | Wardlaw-Milne, Sir John S. |
| Liddall, Walter S. | Rathbone, Eleanor | Warrender, Sir Victor A. G. |
| Lindsay, Kenneth (Kllmarnock) | Rea, Walter Russell | Wedderburn, Henry James Scrymgeour- |
| Lister, Rt. Hon. Sir Philip Cunliffe- | Reed, Arthur C. (Exeter) | White, Henry Graham |
| Lockwood, Capt. J. H. (Shipley) | Held, James S. C. (Stirling) | Williams, Herbert G. (Croydon, S.) |
| Loder, Captain J, de Vere | Reid, William Allan (Derby) | Willoughby de Eresby, Lord |
| Lovat-Fraser, James Alexander | Rickards, George William | Wills, Wilfrid D. |
| Lumley, Captain Lawrence R. | Ross, Ronald D. | Womersley, Sir Walter |
| Mabane, William | Ross Taylor, Walter (Woodbridge) | Wood, Sir Murdoch McKenzie (Banff) |
| MacAndrew, Lieut.-Col. C. G.(Partick) | Rothschild, James A. de | Worthington, Dr. John V. |
| MacAndrew, Capt. J. O. (Ayr) | Ruggles-Brise, Colonel Sir Edward | Wragg, Herbert |
| McConnell, Sir Joseph | Runciman, Rt. Hon. Walter | Young, Rt. Hon. Sir Hilton (S'v'noaks) |
| McEwen, Captain J. H. F. | Russell, Albert (Kirkcaldy) | |
| McKie, John Hamilton | Russell, Alexander West (Tynemouth) | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.— |
| Maclay, Hon. Joseph Paton | Russell, R. J. (Eddisbury) | Sir Frederick Thomson and Sir |
| George Penny. | ||
| NOES. | ||
| Addison, Rt. Hon. Dr. Christopher | Grundy, Thomas W. | Maxton, James |
| Attlee, Clement Richard | Hall, George H. (Merthyr Tydvil) | Parkinson, John Allen |
| Banfield, John William | Jenkins, Sir William | Salter, Dr. Alfred |
| Batey, Joseph | Jones, J. J. (West Ham, Silvertown) | Smith. Tom (Normanton) |
| Buchanan, George | Jones, Morgan (Caerphilly) | Strauss, G. R. (Lambeth, North) |
| Cleary, J. J. | Kirkwood, David | Thorne, William James |
| Cocks, Frederick Seymour | Lansbury, Rt. Hon. George | Tinker, John Joseph |
| Daggar, George | Lawson, John James | Wedgwood, Rt. Hon. Joslah |
| Davies. David L. (Pontypridd) | Leonard, William | West, F. B. |
| Davies, Rhys John (Westhoughton) | Logan, David Gilbert | Williams, David (Swansea, East) |
| Dobbie, William | Lunn, William | Williams, Thomas (York., Don Valley) |
| Gardner, Benjamin Walter | Macdonald, Gordon (Ince) | Wilmot, John |
| Greenwood, Rt. Hon. Arthur | McEntee, Valentine L. | |
| Grenfell, David Rees (Glamorgan) | Maclean, Nell (Glasgow, Govan) | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.— |
| Griffiths, George A. (Yorks, W. Riding) | Mainwaring, William Henry | Mr. Paling and Mr. Groves. |
Resolution agreed to.