Lords Sitting of 28 March 1873

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS—First Reading—Consolidated Fund (£9,317,346 19 s. 9d.)*.
Committee—Custody of Infants* (38–51).
Third Reading—Poor Allotments Management* (43); Bastardy Laws Amendment* (50), and passed.

INVESTMENT OF CAPITAL IN LAND.

  MOTION FOR A SELECT COMMITTEE.
  THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYrose to move that a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into the facilities afforded by the existing law for the investment of capital in the improvement of land, and to report whether any alteration of the law is requisite in order further to encourage such investment. The noble Marquess was proceeding to give reasons for his Motion, when—
  EARL GRANVILLEbegged the noble Marquess's pardon for interrupting him; but he begged to suggest that a longer Notice should have been given of so important a Motion. He had not heard the noble Marquess give public Notice of his intention to move for this Committee, and he believed that the Notice which appeared on the Table to-day was only handed to the Clerk at the Table last evening. He did not suppose there would be any objection to such an Inquiry as that proposed by the noble Marquess; but he thought it would be as well if the Motion were not moved until Monday, in order that noble Lords on both sides of the House might have an opportunity of expressing their opinion on it if they should think fit to do so.
  THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYsaid, that he did not wish to be guilty of any discourtesy to their Lordships, but he thought to bring forward the Motion in fulfilment of a pledge he gave the House last year. In putting his Motion on the Paper only last evening, he did not think he was guilty of any discourtesy, because as his Notice really dated from last year, when he gave the pledge to which he had just referred, he thought it was an unusually long one. However, after the observations of the noble Earl, he would, of course, postpone the matter until Monday.
  Motion postponed accordingly.
  House adjourned at a quarter past Five o'clock, 'till To-morrow, Eleven o'clock.