§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTON:My Lords, I should like to ask the noble and learned Lord President of the Council what are his ideas about the future progress of the Housing Bill and the Agricultural Wages Bill? As regards the Wages Bill, of course we shall take Report and Third Reading to-morrow, after the noble and learned Lord has considered what has passed in this House to-day, and then the next stage will be that that measure will go down to another place. Meanwhile, as regards the Housing Bill, we have already reached a stage at which the measure has gone down to another place; in other words, a moment must presently arrive when we receive the opinions of the House of Commons on both those measures. I understand that we are to meet to-morrow at twelve o'clock, and there is a certain amount of business that we shall get through which is upon the Paper, but not sufficient to occupy us for any length of time. At what stage does the noble and learned Lord anticipate that these two measures will come back from another place? Are we to take them at a later period in the day, or does he contemplate that we shall have to wait till the day following?
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR:My Lords, I have ascertained, as far as anything of the sort can be accurately ascertained, that a Message from the Commons about the Housing Bill Amendments is not likely to reach this House before five o'clock to-morrow. As to the Agricultural Wages Bill we have to take the Report and Third Reading to-morrow, and it will then go down to the Commons. But whether the Commons will deal with it to-morrow I do not know.
§ VISCOUNT CECIL OF CHELWOOD:They are going to adjourn to-morrow.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR:If it is taken to-morrow we shall get it, I hope, about the same time as the Housing BILL.
§ VISCOUNT CECIL OF CHELWOOD:We shall not be able to get both Bills at the same time?
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR:I do not know, and I do not think anybody knows. The most convenient course is for your 432 Lordships to meet at twelve o'clock to-morrow. There is some business to be done, and after that we may adjourn during pleasure and meet again at five o'clock. It is to be hoped—I cannot put it higher—that then the Message will come back to us from the other House. If we do not do that we shall be in great difficulty. As regards Thursday we shall have to meet on that day in order to clear up other odds and ends; and a Royal Commission is also fixed for Thursday. I do not think we can say anything about the hour of meeting on Thursday until to-morrow.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY:The Royal Commission is fixed for Thursday?
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR:Yes, we must meet on Thursday. It all depends whether Parliament rises, and if Parliament is going to rise we propose to fix the Royal Commission for Thursday.
§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTON:I will not enter into the question as to whether Parliament is going to rise or not. That turns on a point which is not now before your Lordships' House. As regards to-morrow the Lord Chancellor anticipates, if things go well, that we shall have important business coming back to us from the other House at five o'clock in the afternoon. I think that estimate is likely to be over sanguine, but it is of extreme importance that your Lordships should attend in large numbers at five o'clock to hear what treatment, in respect of these two Bills, has been accorded to us in another place. I think we had better leave the matter in that position for the moment.