THE IRISH LAND COMMISSION-THE SUB-COMMISSIONERS. MR. SEXTON (for Mr. GRAY) asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is intended to break up two of the Irish Land Sub-Commissions; whether it is a condition of the engagement of the Legal Sub-Commissioners that they should not undertake any other legal business; what notice has been given, or will be given, to those Commissioners whose services are about to be dispensed with; and, whether he is now in a position to state the names of those who will be retained? THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Sir WILLIAM HART DYKE): It has been decided to dispense with the services of two Sub-Commissions from this date. I believe it is understood that the whole time of the legal Assistant Commissioners should be given to their duties under the Land Commission. The Warrants of all the Sub-Commissioners, except those appointed for seven years, stated on the face of them that the appointment would expire on this date. The following will now receive new Warrants of appointment to the end of the present year:namely, Messrs. Bourke, M'Devitt, Hodder, and Doyle, legal Commissioners; and Messrs. Comyn, Walpole, Cunningham, Barry, Bomford, Weir, Sproule, Guiry, and Golding, lay Commissioners. IRISH INDUSTRIES-A ROYAL MR. SEXTON asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether, considering the number, extent, and complication of the questions involved in the Inquiry respecting the state of Irish Industries (as disclosed in the evidence taken this Session before the Select Committee), I and also, having regard to the fact that the question of trade depression is substantially an English question, and that the chief lines of the two inquiries must stand apart, the Government will recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission to utilize the interval before the assembling of the new Parliament in collecting such information as may aid the House to reach a practical conclusion with reference to the industrial condition of Ireland? THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHE QUER: When the hon. Gentleman asked this Question before I did not understand that he referred to the Inquiry which had already been intrusted to a Committee of this House, appointed, I think, on the Motion of the hon. Baronet the Member for South Warwickshire (Sir Eardley Wilmot). I understand that that Committee has taken evidence which has not yet been circulated, and will make no Report this Session. Those who have a strong feeling that the Inquiry should be continued will have an opportunity of moving for the re-appointment of the Committee next year. As the Inquiry has been intrusted to a Committee of this House, I do not think there is any reason why a Royal Commission should be appointed. MR. SEXTON: Has the right hon. Baronet not considered the precedent in the case of the municipal inquiry begun by a Select Committee of this House, and continued by a Royal Commission; and, considering the urgency of the matter, does he not consider that the interval between now and the beginning of next Session should be utilized by a Royal Commission? [No reply.] SCIENCE AND ART-EXAMINATIONS MR. PICTON asked the Vice President of the Committee of Council, Whether his attention has been called to the extraordinary number of failures at the last drawing examinations of the Science and Art Department; and, whether any instructions had been given to the examiners to raise the standard of examination, or whether any other explanation. can be given of the remarkable diminution of the number of passes? THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Mr. E. STANHOPE): No instructions have been given to the examiners to raise the standard at the last drawing examinations. The examinations of the more advanced grades, formerly confined to students who had previously shown capability, have this year been thrown open without restriction. This has led to the examination of a much larger number of candidates and a decline in the percentage of success; but there has been a large increase in the number of passes. The figures are | these-In 1884, out of 424 candidates 203 passed; in last examination, out of 1,530 candidates 331 passed. SEED SUPPLY (IRELAND) ACT-NON PAYMENT OF THE SEED RATE. MR. JUSTIN MCARTHY asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether, considering the low price of stock and farm produce of every kind in many parts of Ireland now and the general depression of agriculture, the Government will consent to the request made by several Poor Law Unions, that the time for the repayment of the last instalment of the Seed Rate, now due, should be extended to the 1st of November? MR. SHAW LEFEVRE, in reply, said, that the question whether several figures were to be counted as one word in a telegram would not be dealt with by the Telegraph Acts Amendment Bill, but would be left to the Post Office Regulations. With respect to the substitution of d. per word rate in place of 1d. for two words, he should move to re-commit the Bill for the purpose of introducing an Amendalso give the hon. Member for Blackburn ment making that alteration. This would (Mr. Briggs) an opportunity of moving the Amendment which he withdrew last night, on the understanding that it could be moved on Report. Will the right hon. Member be prepared MR. ALDERMAN W. LAWRENCE: to take the name of any street, grove, terrace, garden, &c., as one word—that is to say, take Oxford Street as one word THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Sir WILLIAM HART DYKE): Whenever reasonable ground is shown for the exten--and will he also be prepared to treat the name of an Island as one word, such sion of the time for repayment of this loan the Local Government Board are as in the case of the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Bute, the Isle of quite prepared to recommend the application to the consideration of the Board Skye, the Isle of Arran, the Isle of of Works, who, I am informed, act Lewis, &c.? leniently in cases of this kind. Each application must be dealt with on its own merits. MR. SHAW LEFEVRE: I will say "No" to both of these Questions. MR. ALDERMAN W. LAWRENCE, in consequence of the answer of the late HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES Postmaster General (Mr. Shaw Lefevre), BILL. MR. SEXTON (for Mr. GRAY) asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he will consent to extend the provisions of the Housing of the Working Classes (England) Bill to urban sanitary districts in Ireland? THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Sir R. ASSHETON CROSS), in reply, said, that Ireland was not included in the Bill originally, because the Report as to Ireland had not been presented when the Bill was prepared. That Report, however, was now completed, and Ireland would be included in the Bill. Scotland would also be included. TELEGRAPH ACTS AMENDMENT BILL. MR. ALDERMAN W. LAWRENCE asked the right hon. Gentleman the late Postmaster General (Mr. Shaw Lefevre), Whether he would move a clause in the Telegraph Acts Amendment Bill that two, three, or four figures in an address should be counted as one word, and that the rate should be d. per word instead of 1d. for two words? Mr. E. Stanhope gave Notice that on re-committal of the Bill he would move a clause that the &c., and the name of any island be name of any street, square, terrace, &c., counted as one word. MR. PULESTON asked the Post master General, whether he assented to cial difference between the d. per word the proposition that there was no finanand the ld.? THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Lord JOHN MANNERS) said, the officers of the Department gave him to understand that the substitution of d. per word would produce precisely the same financial result. PARLIAMENT-BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR asked, Whether, in view of the opposition likely to be offered to the Housing of the Working Classes (England) Bill from Building Societies and other quarters, the Chancellor of the Exchequer would consider the advisability of giving precedence to the Land Purchase (Ireland) Bill? THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHE Motion made, and Question put, "That QUER: I must wait until Monday be- Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair." fore I make any statement. We must see how we get on with the Criminal Law Amendment Bill. MR. LABOUCHERE inquired whether, if the Appropriation Bill were not opposed that night, it would be put down on the Paper for its last stage in reasonable time to allow of discussion? THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER said, that the hon. Member's request was reasonable, and he would take care that the last stage of the Bill should be taken in time to allow of discussion. MOTIONS. PRINCE HENRY OF BATTENBERG'S NATURALIZATION BILL [Lords.] Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read the first time.”—(Mr. Stuart-Wortley, Under Secretary of State for the Home Department.) SIR WILFRID LAWSON: Does this Bill incur any expense? [No reply.] Motion agreed to. Bill read the first time. Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Standing Orders relating to Naturalization Bills be suspended, and that the Bill be read the second time." -(Mr. Stuart-Wortley.) Motion agreed to. Standing Orders suspended. MR. STUART-WORTLEY: I beg to move that the remaining stages of the Bill be now taken. SIR WILFRID LAWSON: Mr. Speaker, I really want to know what occasion there is for this great hurry? What the better will he be after this naturalization has happened? You may turn him into anything. I have not seen the Bill. Will it incur any expense? MR. STUART-WORTLEY: I move that the Speaker do now leave the Chair. SIR WILFRID LAWSON: I have no objection to this Bill; but I should like to know what it is all about. MR. SPEAKER: Order, order. The hon. Member can make any observations after I have put the Question. SIR WILFRID LAWSON: I have no object except to ask what the Bill is, and why it is hurried through all the stages in this manner? That is all I want to know. THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: The Bill is for the naturaliza. tion of Prince Henry of Battenberg, and that is a Bill which we have no doubt will receive the general and cordial acceptance of the House. It is proposed to carry it through the several stages in this manner, because it has always been the custom with regard to Bills of this kind. It follows the exact precedent of a similar Bill in 1880, which was carried through all its stages at one Sitting of the House. There is, I believe, some further reason for haste on this subject which has induced us to make the proposal that the precedent set in 1880 should be followed now. I believe it was carried in precisely the same way in the other House. MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR: May I ask whether the passing of this Bill is a condition precedent to Prince Henry of Battenberg's appointment to high command in the Army? THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: I think I need hardly answer that question. MR. BROADHURST: Has this Bill ever been printed? THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Sir R. ASSHETON CROSS): It is not customary to print these Bills, and there has not been time. MR. BROADHURST: It is a most extraordinary proceeding, I venture to observe, that we should be asked to pass a Bill for the naturalization of a gentleman of whom we know little or nothing. ["Oh!"] I speak for myself, and not for Gentlemen on the other side. [Mr. WARTON: Hear, hear!] It is a most extraordinary proceeding that we should naturalize a gentleman of whom we practically know nothing, and not have the Bill printed before we are asked to pass it through all its stages. SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT said, that the reason why it was necessary to have an Act of Parliament in this case was because Prince Henry of Battenberg had not fulfilled the condition of residence for a certain time in the United THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: The object is to obtain the Royal Assent for the Bill. Motion agreed to. Bill read the first time. Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."-(The Attorney General.) Kingdom. If he had, no Act would have been necessary at all, and the Prince would have been naturalized by the natural process under the authority of the Secretary of State, and the end would have been attained in a day or two. If it had not been that he was a foreigner, and had not fulfilled the condition of residence, the House would have heard nothing at all about it, and the Prince would have been naturalized as a matter of course. His hon. Friend (Mr. Broadhurst) had said they knew nothing at all about the Prince. On the contrary, they knew a great deal about him, and they knew he was married to a daughter of the Queen. In these circumstances, the proposal now before the House was perfectly reasonable. He did not know what the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer meant when he said there was a particular reason for haste; but surely it was a Bill to which it was inconceivable that any objection could be raised. MR. JESSE COLLINGS said, he did not think there would be any objection to the proposal; but the Chancellor of the Exchequer having stated that there were special reasons why the Bill should be passed, perhaps the right hon. Gentleman would tell them what the special SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL rose to ask Mr. Speaker to rule whether, before such a Motion could be made, the suspension of the Standing Orders was not necessary? MR. SPEAKER: There is no Standing Order applicable to the case; but it is only to be done in order-and I understand the Attorney General is going to take this course-to refer the Bill to a Committee in the ordinary way. SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL protested against this extraordinary, this very irregular course. He knew something of the character of this Bill, for he had read the debate in "another place." It was a Bill of this character. A gentleman had claimed the title and Earldom of Mar, which the highest tribunal of the country decided he was not entitled to. But the Committee of the House of Lords now said that he was entitled to it, and the Bill was to restore the ancient Earldom of Mar. That might be right or it might be wrong; but he protested against this measure being taken before other very important matters now before them. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir RICHARD WEBSTER) said, that, as he understood it, the matter stood thus: On a previous inquiry there was some technical difficulty in regard to the reception of certain evidence. This Bill had passed the other House with a view to remove the technical difficulty. It was his intention at once to move that the Bill be committed to a Select Committee; but, of course, he presumed that everything would be dealt with by that Committee. He understood there was no Standing Order applicable to the matter which he had moved; and he presumed that if the Bill were referred to a Select Committee there would be no objection to its being read a second time. Motion agreed to. Bill read a second time, and committed to a Select Committee. Committee nominated:-Sir ARTHUR OTWAY, I that is, the English GovernmentSir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH, Secretary Sir RICHARD CROSs, Sir WILLIAM HARCOURT, Mr. ATTORNEY GENERAL, Mr. SOLICITOR GENERAL, Sir HENRY JAMES, Sir FARRER HERSCHELL, Mr. COCHRAN-PATRICK, and Dr. FARQUHARSON. SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL said, the Attorney General had told them this was a Bill to enable certain evidence to be received; but from the debate in "an-it to be its duty, in view of the feeling other place" he understood it was for the restitution of the Earldom of Mar. He had the strongest objection to that, which, he held, was an unprecedented course to take after the decision of the highest legal tribunal of Scotland. The Bill ought to be printed, and before allowing it to pass this stage they ought to know what the Bill was. "in order to have your nominee appointed to the Archbishopric of Dublin ?" He wished to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether there was any record of such a letter, or a letter of a similar character, in the Foreign Office; if so, whether the Government would not feel SIR WILFRID LAWSON: Perhaps it would facilitate matters if the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy (Sir George Campbell) were put on the Committee. SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL: I object, Sir. amongst Orangemen with regard to the connection of the Government with the Vatican, to indicate their opinion of such conduct on the part of their Predecessors in reference to the Archiepiscopal See of Dublin? THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. BOURKE): In answer to the Question of the hon. Member, I beg to say that I have not seen the letter referred to, and that I have told the House before that I have not read the Correspondence which took place between that gentleman and the late Govern ment. If the hon. Gentleman wishes for further information on the subject, and puts down his Question, I shall be happy to answer it. MR. T. P. O'CONNOR: I will put down the Question, and will ask the right hon. Member whether the Government will not consider it necessary, especially amongst Orangemen, who regard with disfavour any relations between the British Government and the Vatican, to set public opinion right? MR. BOURKE: If the hon. Gentleman puts down a Question on the subject, I shall be glad to consult with the Prime Minister on it. I cannot take any steps of this kind without his consent. ORDERS OF THE DAY. CRIMINAL LAW AMENDMENT BILL [Lords.]-[BILL 159.] (Secretary Sir R. Assheton Cross.) COMMITTEE. [Progress 30th July.] Bill considered in Committee. (In the Committee.) Clause 8 (Procuring defilement of woman by threats or fraud). Amendment proposed, in page 1, line 22, to leave out Sub-section (1.)-(Mr. Hopwood.) Question proposed, "That the word By' stand part of the Clause." |