§ EARL BUXTON had given Notice to ask His Majesty's Government if they can give the House any information in regard to the proceedings of the Council of the League of Nations at the recent meeting in Geneva; and to move for Papers. The noble Earl said: My Lords, I should like to ask the noble Lord, the Lord President of the Council, what he proposes to do about this Question. I think it is clear it cannot be taken now. There are several members who desire to take part in any discussion which arises. It seems to me that it would Joe more convenient to have it upon a Monday sitting, but, if that is objected to, have it to-morrow.
§ I should like to make this comment—and I think I am entitled to make it—that the conduct of the business of this House by the Government is not altogether happy. I put down this particular Question at the request of the noble Lord, the President of the Council, and, as he knows, we arranged a day that would be convenient to the House. One or two other matters in regard to which there was controversy were put off to other days in order to meet the convenience of the noble Lord. I came down to-day, as did other noble Lords, and found that the Government had placed on the Paper before this Question a Bill which, as we have seen this afternoon, was bound to lead to considerable controversy. My noble friend on the Woolsack 42 made, if he will allow me to say so, so far as I could follow it as a southerner, a most able and lucid speech, but it lasted three-quarters of an hour. We have had other speeches upon that particular Bill, and now the time is half-past six. I confess it is not clear to me why a Bill of that sort should have been put down to-night when we had a Question of this kind, which it had been agreed should be taken to-day. I will therefore ask my noble friend what he proposes to do in the matter.
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (LORD PARMOOR)My Lords, the Orders of the House are such that Bills take precedence of Motions on Tuesdays, as the noble Lord knows. Therefore, in the ordinary course of events, the Bill to which reference has been made came on first. I agree with the noble Lord that it would be inadvisable to discuss this Question this evening. It is an extremely important matter, dealing with the League of Nations. There appear to be two alternatives. One would be to put the Question down for to-morrow. I am told that subjects already on the Paper for to-morrow are not likely to result in prolonged discussions, though, of course, it is impossible to prophesy in regard to that. The other alternative would be to take the Question on Monday. I am told, however, that there are objections to Monday, and if there are objections to Monday, I would ask the noble Lord, if he will do so, to put his Question down for to-morrow. I think that will afford the best opportunity for taking it.
§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTONMy Lords, I quite understand that my noble friend Lord Buxton feels some resentment at the manner in which he thinks he has been treated, because ho came down with the full expectation of making his speech at an earlier hour, and he finds this other business occupying a large portion of your Lordships' time, thereby driving him off to this hour. While admitting that, I hope we shall not drop into the practice here of agreeing that no important business can be taken after half-past six, because that admission would be tantamount to saying that your Lordships must confine your serious business to two or two and a quarter hours in the afternoon.
43 That is an admission I should be most reluctant to make. I recall very many occasions—indeed quite recent occasions—on which, while the first hour or two of public business has been taken up with matters of greater or less importance, questions of first-class moment have been opened as late as half-past six. I remember that only a fortnight ago there was some question—I have forgotten the exact question now—upon which I had to challenge the Government, and on which a reply was expected from the noble Lord, the Lord President, and I rose exactly at half-past six, and made a speech of half-an-hour's duration. There were two or three other speeches, and we were all quite satisfied with the situation. The moment you begin to lay down that after half-past six no serious business can be expected, from that moment everybody will run away as soon as half-past six arrives, and we shall be unable to continue business in a satisfactory way.
As regards the particular proposals which have been made, the noble Lord, Lord Parmoor, has said that there are two alternatives. One is founded on the hope and expectation that the business already on the Paper for to-morrow will not take long, and that, therefore, my noble friend Lord Buxton should proceed with his Question to-morrow. I hope that he will adopt that course, and will use such means of persuasion or pressure as he may be able to apply to the speakers before him to-morrow to condense their remarks more successfully than the noble and learned Viscount on the Woolsack succeeded in doing to-day. The other alternative is to have a sitting on Monday. I rather deprecate that, at this period of the Session—for these reasons. If you have a special sitting on Monday for this Question, however important it is, you cannot very well refuse it to any other Motion, and you will then start a precedent quite new in the history of your Lordships' House. If there is any difficulty in getting a good place for a Motion on any day in the week, the noble Lord responsible for that Motion will clamour that there shall be a special sitting on Monday in order that he may deal with it at his leisure and in a manner which he thinks consonant with the dignity of the subject. I think that would be rather an unfortunate precedent to create.
During the time that I had the responsibility for the business of the House I 44 do not think it ever happened that the practice of Monday sittings was agreed to until considerably later in the Session than this, and that only when there was a good deal of congestion of public business. Then we are only too willing to sacrifice our convenience, if it be so called, in the public interest. But do not be too sure even if you have a special meeting on Monday, that that arrangement will give you the audience that you require. Noble Lords very often have other engagements on Monday which keep them not necessarily in close proximity to St. Stephens. It may very well be, even if the House agreed to meet on Monday, that your Lordships would not attend in any larger numbers than tomorrow, or any time to-day. Therefore, for my part, looking at the matter in the light of our general practice, I would strongly urge my noble friend, if he will allow me to give him any advice in the matter, to proceed with his Question tomorrow, relying upon your Lordships, in consequence of the importance of the subject, to attend in large numbers. And may I add that to-morrow being Wednesday we begin business a quarter of an hour earlier?
§ EARL BUXTONI should like the noble Marquess to understand that, so far as I am concerned, there is no question as to whether I speak now or later on. I am only going to speak for about three minutes. My anxiety is as to the noble and learned Lord who would have to explain what happened at the Council of the League of Nations and other noble Lords who might wish to take part in the debate. It is not because of any vanity on my part that I have asked that the Motion should be postponed.
§ LORD PARMOORWill the noble Earl postpone it until to-morrow?
§ EARL BUXTONYes.