FIRST READING. (Hansard, 31 August 1880)

§ LORD O'HAGAN
intimated that it was intended to take the second reading to-morrow.

§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES)
objected. It was impossible, he said, that proper respect could be shown to their Lordships if Bills were hurried through the House in that way. The Bill had only come up from 813 the Commons that evening, and now it was proposed that the second reading should be taken on the following day, within a week, it was believed, of the Prorogation of Parliament. The practice was one which their Lordships' House ought most strenuously to resist.

§ LORD O'HAGAN
explained the object of the Bill, which was very simple. The main part of it, intended to assimilate the Law of Registration in Ireland to that of England, had been borrowed from the English Statute. There were only two clauses which could give rise to discussion.

THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDON
pointed out that the discussion was irregular. The Bill had been read a first time only that evening, and their Lordships were now embarking on a discussion of what it contained, which properly belonged to the second reading of the Bill. His noble and learned Friend (Lord O'Hagan) was able to tell them what there was contained in the Bill, and that he held to be irregular.

§ EARL GRANVILLE
entirely agreed with the noble Duke (the Duke of Richmond and Gordon). The question raised was not whether the second reading should be fixed for Wednesday or Thursday, but whether it was not altogether too late to consider it in the present moribund Session. His noble and learned Friend (Lord O'Hagan) had given Notice that it was proposed to take the second reading to-morrow. Then, and not now, would be the proper time for the noble Earl (the Earl of Redesdale) to say whether he opposed the further progress of the Bill or not, as he would, on the second reading, hear a statement of the character of the Bill. He (Earl Granville) deprecated any discussion of the merits of the Bill now.

§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES)
understood the noble and learned Lord (Lord O'Hagan) to touch upon the merits of the Bill, as he had said it was intended to assimilate the Law of Registration in Ireland to that of England.

§ LORD O'HAGAN
said, he had made no statement as to the merits of the Bill until the noble Earl had interposed. He had merely mentioned his purpose to move the second reading on to-morrow.

§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES)
expressed a desire to move that the Bill be not put down 814 for to-morrow, as Wednesday was not a suitable day for their Lordships to attend. Moreover, he did not think that measures should be proceeded with at that period of the Session, except those which were of an absolutely urgent character, and he considered that was not an urgent measure.

§ EARL GRANVILLE
said, the noble Earl might have excellent reasons for refusing to give a Bill a second reading to-morrow; but the course he now suggested of moving that the Bill should not then be taken was unprecedented.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR
interposed with the observation that there was no Motion before the House. As to the proposal of the noble Earl (the Earl of Redesdale) that the Bill be not set down for second reading, he had never heard of such a Motion since he had been a Member of the House.

§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES)
remarked, that all he could say was that it was customary to give Notice of the second reading, with a view of consulting the convenience of their Lordships.

§ LORD O'HAGAN
denied that it was usual to give any further Notice of the kind.

§ EARL GRANVILLE
said, his recollection was that in 99 cases out of 100 the practice had been to read a Bill a first time, and then give private Notice to the Clerk to put on the Minutes of the House the day on which it was intended to take the second reading. His noble and learned Friend (Lord O'Hagan) had mentioned the subject now, instead of giving Notice in the ordinary way to the Clerk.

§ VISCOUNT CRANBROOK
said, as a matter of fact, it was usual to consult the convenience of the noble Lords in the House, and it was quite open to order the discussion of the Bill on a particular day; what otherwise was the meaning of the Order Book of the House unless it had the authority to order. Its ordinary practice was as the noble Earl stated, but the theory was that the House ordered, and it could do so.

§ EARL GRANVILLE
called upon the noble Viscount opposite to name a case in point.

§ VISCOUNT CRANBROOK
said, he would not pledge himself on the subject; but, at any rate, supposing the noble Lord put the Bill down for to-morrow (Wed- 815 nesday), not one of their Lordships could give Notice of Amendments, for they had not seen the Bill, and would not be able to see it until to-morrow. That was a most unreasonable state of things.

THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY
said, of course, one wrong did not justify another wrong; but it occasionally happened, as in the case of the Conveyance of Voters Bill in the last Parliament, that at the close of a Session, Bills were pressed forward with more haste than usual; and he saw no reason why they on that side of the House should be singled out as pressing Bills on.