Sitting of 16 October 1917

Preamble
The LORD CHANCELLOR acquainted the House, That the Clerk of the Parliaments had laid upon the Table the certificate from the Examiners that the further Standing Orders applicable to the following Bill have been complied with—
South Staffordshire Mond Gas (Power and Heating) (No. 2). [H.L.]
The same was ordered to lie on the Table.

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE MOND GAS (POWER AND HEATING) (No. 2) BILL. [H.L.]
Second Reading (which stands appointed for to-morrow) put off to Thursday next.

REPRESENTATIVE PEERS FOR SCOTLAND.
Certificate of the election of three representative Peers for Scotland delivered and read, as follows—
May it please your Lordships,
I do hereby certify that, by virtue of His Majesty's Royal Proclamation dated September 24, 1917, a certificate under the hand and seal of His Grace Douglas Beresford Malise Ronald, Duke of Montrose, Knight of the most ancient and most noble Order of the Thistle, Lord Clerk Register of Scotland, has been delivered into the Crown Office in Chancery, whereby it appears that
The Earl of Lindsay,
The Lord Forbes, and
The Lord Fairfax of Cameron
have been elected and chosen to sit and vote in the House of Peers in this present Parliament, in the room of the Earl of Haddington, the Earl of Leven and Melville, and Lord Torphichen, deceased.
Given under my hand this 12th day of October, 1917.
CLAUD SCHUSTER,
Clerk of the Crown in Chancery.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY: My Lords, I venture to put a question to the Leader of the House as to the course of business. I do not act, in anything I say, as in any sense the Leader of the Opposition, but I think it will be in the interests of your Lordships to know what the Government propose. The Order Paper does not show anything very startling at present, but that may be only a temporary blankness, and I have reason to think there may be discussions, some of importance, next week. In the circumstances I do not know whether the noble Earl would think it worth while to have a formal sitting on Thursday, by which time we shall be in a better position to know what we are going to do.
THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTON): My Lords, I need hardly say that I am in the hands of the House in this matter, and only desire to follow its inclination. The noble Marquess has pointed out that there is nothing on the Order Paper for the next week. I have been in communication with the Leader of the Opposition—the noble Marquess, Lord Crewe—who is unable to be present here to-day, and I think he would have been willing, had the House taken the same line, to accept the suggestion of an adjournment until the early part of next week. But if the noble Marquess opposite and those who act with him consider it desirable to have a formal sitting next Thursday in order that they may make their plans for the future, and think it likely that discussions may be raised in this House in the early part of next week, I am willing to fall in with the suggestion that has been made.
No other noble Lord rising,
EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTON said: As no noble Lord has anything further to say, I will move that the House do adjourn until Thursday next.
Moved accordingly, and, on Question, Motion agreed to.
House adjourned at thirty-five minutes past four o'clock.