§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTON:My Lords, I desire before we separate to ask the noble and learned Viscount on the Woolsack what are the proposals of the Government with regard to the conduct of business during the remainder of the Session. The noble and learned Lord will remember that two days ago he told us that he hoped to- make a statement, some time to-day certainly, upon the Irish question. My first question, therefore, is whether he thinks he will be in a position to carry out that undertaking. The second point is with regard to our business during the remainder of the day. Up to this moment the idea has prevailed that adjourning in a moment now, having discharged our business this morning, we should meet again at half-past five, in order to receive whatever business will have come up to us from the House of Commons. There are three Bills which your Lordships have dealt with which are now, or will presently be, in the hands of the House of Commons. There is first the Agricultural Wages Bill, which we have just dis- 461 posed of, secondly there is the Housing (Financial Provisions) Bill and thirdly there is the London Traffic Bill. Upon all those Bills we shall presently receive the views of another place. Will the noble and learned Viscount tell us whether he thinks we shall be in a position to meet at half-past five in order to take those measures?
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR (VISCOUNT HALDANE):My Lords, with regard to the statement which I had hoped to be in a position to make this afternoon, I am afraid that that is not practicable, and that I shall not be able to make any statement with regard to Ireland to-day.
§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTON:It will not be made in another place to-day?
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR:I understand not, but I will inquire between now and the subsequent sitting of this House, and if it is made to-day in another place it will also be made to your Lordships. Then, with regard to our sitting here again, after careful inquiry, and after taking into account twenty-five years' experience, I am unable to promise your Lordships that the three Bills will be ready for your Lordships' consideration by half past five. My information goes to this, that it is not likely to be before seven o'clock at the soonest, and I think I may safely say a quarter past seven, and, although I know it is very inconvenient to your Lordships, I suggest that it would be better that we should adjourn during pleasure and sit again at a quarter past seven.
§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTON:My Lords, I am not sure that the noble and learned Viscount has fully explained the whole situation, for it is somewhat surprising in a matter of this sort that while we are asked to sit at noon, and then to sit again in the afternoon or evening, the House of Commons should not be sitting at this moment, and I believe is only going to sit at its customary hour this afternoon. In the circumstances of the Session I was quite prepared to recommend your Lordships to meet at half past five as arranged, in order to take up the consideration of whatever Bills the House of Commons had already disposed of, but I am informed that the leading 462 Ministers of the Government are themselves attending a Cabinet Council at six o'clock. That would mean that even if we met at half-past five the duty of representing the views of the Ministry upon all these important matters would devolve upon my noble friends Lord Muir Mackenzie and Lord De La Warr, and, competent as they are to discharge the business, I am not certain that they would not quail under it. It is out of consideration for those noble Lords rather than for their colleagues that I feel disposed to think that we shall do well to accept the advice of the Lord Chancellor.
In doing so, may I re-echo what fell from the noble Marquess, Lord Salisbury? Really, the way in which the business of this House has been managed, or mismanaged, in these concluding stages of the Session is terrible. We must utter a protest against the way in which we are treated. A distinguished man in another place recently used the metaphor, "patient oxen." That is the way, apparently, in which we are treated here. But even the patient ox is liable at moments to show some ferocity. Your Lordships must not be surprised if, treated as we are, we do show some resentment. If, however, we are to meet at a quarter past seven this evening, as suggested by the Lord Chancellor, may I ask him to represent to his colleagues that the whole of the business coming from another place should be in our hands at that hour? We cannot go dribbling on here, with the chance very likely of having to meet at eight o'clock or nine o'clock to-morrow morning, while Ministers are discussing what their Irish policy is to be, if they have one. If we meet at a quarter past seven this evening let us have an assurance that the House of Commons will deal with all these Bills, and that we may, in the final stages of these matters, meet, at the hands of His Majesty's Government, with a rather more complaisant attitude than we have experienced hitherto.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR:My Lords, I wish I could give some categorical assurance such as the noble Marquess has asked for, but I can no more rule the House of Commons than I can rule the wind and the waves. The House of Commons is sitting at 2.45 p.m. You may say that it ought to meet earlier, 463 but there is a European Conference of great importance going on at this moment, and it is taking up the whole of the Prime Minister's time. He has the greatest difficulty to get time for even the most necessary Parliamentary business. I am quite aware that your Lordships have not been treated well, but I do not know that one Ministry is worse than another in that respect. If your Lordships would be so kind as to re-assemble at a quarter past seven we will now simply adjourn during pleasure.
§ LORD BANBURY OF SOUTHAM:My Lords, I feel very reluctant, as a new member, to intervene in this discussion, but I have for many years noticed that the House of Lords has always made protests against being badly treated towards the close of the Session, but they have done nothing more than made protests. So long as your Lordships only make protests this sort of thing will go on. The real way to stop it is to say: " Very well, we will not take the business." That would have some effect, but mere protests have been tried over and over again, and have not been found effective.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR:That is a very important question. I am told, but I have not got it on official authority, that the House of Commons proposes to meet at eleven o'clock tomorrow. The question is when your Lordships would like to meet. There is one thing we must have, and that is a Royal Commission, but that we can get at any time. The question is whether we should meet early, with the possibility that there may be some business to do, or whether we should meet a little later and ask for a Royal Commission. I am not in a position to say what the views of the House of Commons are on that subject, because I am not in a position to assure your Lordships that they meet at eleven o'clock. I am only going on the result of inquiries I have made unofficially this morning. Could we: leave this question until we meet this evening?
§ THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTON:Yes, I think it would be well to leave the decision of that matter until 464 we meet at a quarter past seven. I hope that Ministers will not put the House of Lords into the position of meeting at that hour with nothing before them. That would really bring things to a point, and I think that the House of Lords, placed in such a position, would have to take action which might really have a rather serious effect on the position of affairs. Therefore, I give that warning with all respect.
§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR:We will do our best.
§ [The sitting was suspended at half past one o'clock and resumed at a quarter past seven o'clock.]