HL Deb 10 February 1913 vol 13 cc1011-2

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee, read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(Lord Strachie.)

THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

I hope the noble Lord will not persist with this Motion. The time has been very short. I think it is highly probable that some of your Lordships would wish to put down Amendments to the Bill, but we have not had time yet to formulate them. I therefore hope the noble Lord will not press his Motion at this moment.

THE PAYMASTER-GENERAL (LORD STRACHIE)

Certainly at this hour I should not wish to go on with the Motion. I only moved it in order that the noble Marquess might make the statement he has just made. It will be in the recollection of the House that on the Second Reading of the Bill I stated that the whole essence of going on with the Bill now would be if we could carry it through all its stages rapidly and practically without any altera- tion. The noble Marquess having intimated that that is impossible, and that he considers that the Bill requires considerable amendment—

THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

Some amendment.

LORD STRACHIE

From what the noble Marquess has informed me I should say that considerable Amendments were proposed. I cannot agree with the noble Marquess that the Bill requires such drastic amendment, and I am sorry that the Bill must now be put oft for a considerable time.

THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

I protest against the assertion that I have said anything about drastic Amendments. I said that the Bill would require some consideration, and possibly some amendment. I must ask the noble Lord not to try and throw upon me the responsibility of putting off this Bill. When the Government produce a Bill exceedingly late in the session—indeed, at the end of, perhaps, the longest session that we ever remember—and then expect to pass it through this House without any time for consideration, it is upon them that the responsibility lies and not on those of your Lordships who venture to remonstrate. It may be that when we come to consider the Bill carefully we may be able to pass it with very little amendment.

LORD STRACHIE

I would point out that when the Bill was given a Second Reading there was no word of protest used—in fact, the Archbishop of Canterbury blessed it entirely, and expressed the hope that it would pass very speedily through this House, and I do not think the noble Marquess intimated then that any considerable amendment would be necessary. I do not wish at this late hour to go into any controversy in the matter, but I can assure the noble Marquess that I shall respond to his request—indeed, he has the power to make me yield to it if he desires—and withdraw the Motion DOW. But I hope the noble Marquess and his friends who object to this Bill will place their Amendments on the Paper so that next session we may have the advantage of those Amendments and see whether they cannot he incorporated in the Bill when it is reintroduced.

Motion, by leave, withdrawn.

House adjourned at ten minutes past Twelve o'clock a.m., till half-past Ten o'clock.