§ LORD WAVENEYhad given Notice of his intention to move a Resolution—
That all boroughs of not more than 1,000 registered voters at the time of passing any Bill for redistribution of seats in Parliament in Ireland shall be incorporated into the representation of the counties wherein they are situate by the addition of so many members to the county representation as these boroughs shall have aforetime returned to Parliament, to be elected then and thenceforward on the county franchise;but before his Lordship rose,
§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHARMAN of COMMITTEES)said, that he objected to the noble Lord proceeding with this Motion. On a former evening he had pointed out objections to the Resolution, as being against the Standing Orders of the House. He asked their Lordships whether they were in a position to agree to such a Resolution as the one upon the Paper, which had reference to a redistribution of seats, and which particularly affected the other House of Parliament. There was another objection to the Resolution. He noticed that last night, or rather that morning at 2 o'clock, there was a Bill for the redistribution of seats before the other House, which was counted out upon it. Therefore, there was a Bill before the other House on the subject of this Resolution. He thought that if the noble Lord would consider the matter, he would hardly propose such a Resolution as that which now stood upon their Lordships' Paper in his name.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, that when the Notice was laid upon the Table he was not aware that there was a Bill before the other House on the subject; but now the attention of their Lordships had been called to that fact he had to say that it would be clearly out of Order to proceed with the Motion.
§ LORD WAVENEYsaid, that the noble Earl at the Table (the Earl of Redesdale) had stated that his Resolution had reference to a redistribution of seats; but he would point out that there was a great distinction between a Redistribution Bill and what would be the result 1457 of his Resolution if it were agreed to in a Bill. He would, therefore, proceed to bring on his Resolution.
§ THE EARL OF REDESDALE (CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES)rose to Order, and said the noble Lord stated that his Resolution had nothing to do with the redistribution of seats; but those were the very words of the Resolution, and the fact that this Resolution unquestionably dealt with a subject regarding which there was a Bill before the other House made it out of Order to bring on the Resolution in that House.
§ LORD WAVENEYpointed out that his Resolution had reference not to redistribution of seats, but to the incorporation of the seats existing in boroughs with those in the counties—it was a question of allocation, and not one of any particular redistribution. And unless any noble Lord had other objections to make he would proceed with his Resolution.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYrose to Order. He felt as strongly on this subject as the noble Earl the Leader of the House and the Chairman of Committees that the Resolution was out of Order and should not be proceeded with, and they were not so powerless as to allow the noble Lord to proceed in spite of the objections offered against his doing so; he would, therefore, move that the noble Lord be not now heard.
§ Moved, "That the Lord Waveney be not now heard."—(The Marquess of Salisbury.)
§ On Question? agreed to.
§ LORD WAVENEYthereupon gave Notice that on an early day he would call attention to the numerical proportion of the boroughs of Ireland.