§ Order of the Day for Committee read.
*THE UNDER - SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (The EARL of PORTSMOUTH)My Lords, perhaps I may be permitted to make a short explanation with regard to what happened on Thursday last. Viscount Knutsford objected to the Amendments which I had placed on the Paper, but my noble friend for once failed in his legal acumen and discovered what has since been proved to be a mare's nest. None of us on this side of the House could make out the exact point that my noble friend was raising. The Amendments have for their object the correction of an error which was overlooked in the House of Commons, and if my noble friend had afforded me an opportunity of going over the Amendments with him I think he would have seen that they were in order. In the circumstances I had no alternative but to postpone the Amendments until to-day, and I took that course in case there had been any inaccuracy in the drafting. But immediately after the House rose on Thursday I sent to my noble friend the Bill with the changes effected by the Amendments marked in ink. This, as I anticipated, quite cleared up the error under which my noble friend was labouring, and I received from him on Saturday morning a note to the effect that he was quite satisfied and assented to the insertion of the Amendments.
§ House again in Committee (according to order).
1322§ [The Earl of ONSLOW in the Chair.]
§ Clause 1:—
§
Amendments moved—
In page 1, line 22, after the word "Kingdom" to insert the words ''or of British Protectorates;" in lines 26 and 27, to leave out the words "the expression 'His Majesty's Dominions outside the United Kingdom' shall include British Protectorates "; in line 28, to leave out the words "self-governing colony" and to insert the words "colony possessing responsible government"; and in page 2, line 2, to leave out the words "powers of self-government" and to insert the words "responsible government."—(The Earl of Portsmouth.)
§ On Question, Amendments agreed to.
§ Clause 1, as amended, agreed to.
§ Remaining clauses agreed to.
§ Standing Committee negatived. The Report of Amendments to be received to-morrow; and Bill to be printed as amended. (No. 127.)