words of the clause agree with the intention of the Committee.

MR. SCLATER-BOOTH failed to see how that was so.

MR. DODSON said, the hon. Member evidently had a wrong copy of the Amendment.

Amendment agreed to.

Amendment proposed,

In page 4, line 19, after "gas," insert" and in the case of cement works of any noxious or offensive gas."-(Sir Sidney Waterlow.) Amendment agreed to.

Amendment proposed,

unusual exhibition they had had of MR. DODSON said, the hon. Memsympathy and agreement between the ber's Amendment was to insert cement hon. Members for Meath and Louth (Mr. works in Clause 9. That had been subA. M. Sullivan and Mr. Callan), he was stantially agreed to in an Amendment not disposed to interfere with the con- already adopted, and the present protinuance of those feelings. Unques-posal was only a formal one to make the tionably, there was a disadvantage in proceeding with measures at this hour of the morning, when their Business was conducted in whispers. Yesterday an hon. Member sitting on the Treasury Bench, distinctly and intentionally placing his hand before his mouth, had conducted a portion of the Business in a low whisper, in order that the course he desired the House to take should meet with no opposition. In the lowest tone that he could contrive, he had proposed that the House should sit at 2 o'clock to-morrow; and it was not until the Speaker had refused to recognize such an unusual proceeding, and had called upon the hon. Member to state his proposal clearly, that the proposal was made known to the House. That was one example of the dangers they would have to face if they allowed the Business to be conducted in whispers ; and it had taught him that it was always desirable, when they could not hear what was going on, to propose an adjournment of the discussion. The first short speech of the right hon Gentleman (Mr. Dodson) he had been unable to hear, and he had said so to the Committee; but after the manifestation the right hon. Member had since given of the excellence of his physical powers--which he hoped he might long continue to enjoy he (Mr. O'Connor) was ready to admit that the President of the Local Government Board was in a position to conduct the Business of the Committee. As it was the feeling of the Committee that they should go on with the Bill he

would withdraw the Motion.

Motion, by leave, withdrawn.
Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
Amendment proposed,

In page 4, line 28, at end, add, "The Board shall take such steps as they may think fit for giving notice to persons interested of the provisions of any order made by them under this section before any Bill for confirming the same is introduced into Parliament.”—Mr. Dodson.) Amendment agreed to.

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

PART III.

(i.) Registration of Works. Clause 10 (Registration of works, and stamp duty).

MR. DODSON said, he now rose to move an Amendment which had been

put down by the hon. Member behind him (Sir Sydney Waterlow).

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR rose to Order. He wished to ask the Chairman whether it was competent for the right hon. Gentleman to move the Amendment of another Member without giving Notice? The Speaker had ruled that it

could not be done.

SIR SYDNEY WATERLOW said, the Amendments were put down very late last night, and they appeared in his name by a mistake.

THE CHAIRMAN: The hon. Member (Mr. Arthur O'Connor) refers to a Rule of the House which is not a Rule of the Committee. There is no previous Notice necessary.

Amendment proposed, in page 4, line 34, leave out "scheduled." (Mr.

Question proposed, "That those words Dodson.) be there inserted."

Mr. Arthur O'Connor

Amendment agreed to.

--

Amendment proposed, in page 4, line | jesty's Treasury may sanction, shall be paid out 34, after "work, "to which of money provided by Parliament.” Part II. of this Act applies."-(Mr. Amendment agreed to.

MR. ERRINGTON moved, in page 6, | report Progress in 10 minutes or a line 39, after" applies," to insert "or quarter of an hour. in any other chemical work for gain." The Amendment was simply intended to extend the definition of disqualification of certain persons holding inspectorships.

Motion made, and Question put, MR. SCLATER-BOOTH hoped his "That the Chairman do report Prohon. Friends would allow the Amend-gress, and ask leave to sit again.”— ments to go on, because really they were most unimportant. The Bill was greatly needed, and, as everyone knew, was originally prepared under his direction.

he would move that the Chairman leave | gress could be very well made at some the Chair. other time.

Motion made, and Question put, "That the Chairman do now leave the Chair."-(Mr. Arthur Balfour.)

The Committee divided:-Ayes 21; Noes 104 Majority 83.-(Div. List, No. 215.)

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Chairman do report Progress, and ask leave to sit again."—(Lord Randolph Churchill.)

MR. OTWAY thought the best answer to the noble Lord would be found in the LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL division that had just taken place. Memthought the Government would now be bers of great experience on that side of willing not to insist on making further the House had supported the GovernProgress with the Bill, and he should, ment; but the noble Lord said he had therefore, move that Progress be re- never known a Bill managed in a more ported. He wished the Committee slovenly manner. He (Mr. Otway) had clearly to understand that the reason sat in the House for a great many years, why he and his hon. Friends objected and he had rarely known a Bill to be so to further Progress being then made well managed. This was a Bill of very was, not that they objected to the prin- great interest to the country generally; ciple of the Bill or the purpose of the and it was a Bill of a highly technical Bill, but to the extremely unusual, character not easily to be contemplated irregular, and he thought he might say by hon. Members who were not inslovenly manner in which the right hon. terested in the subject. The right hon. Gentleman in charge of the Bill had Gentleman had followed the extremely carried it on. The Bill affected im- sensible course of coming to an agreeportant and large pecuniary interests; ment with hon. Members who had but it had been perfectly clear that the Amendments on the Paper, and the reright hon. Gentleman had not made up sult was that up to the 23rd clause there his mind as to the particular Amend- had been no Amendment of any imments which he would or would not portance upon which he had not been accept. He had never seen a Committee able to arrive at an understanding. The of that House the proceedings of which noble Lord, and some hon. Members more nearly approached to farce. Hon. who supported him, had chosen to preMembers produced Amendments from vent the prosecution of the Bill to a suctheir pockets; the Chairman of the Comcessful issue; but he would put it to mittee could not understand them; he was assisted by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board, who was again assisted by the President of the Local Government Board, who was himself contradicted by the former President of the Local Government Board. Hon. Members on that side of the House had been anxious to take part in the proceedings; but they could not understand what was going on. The right hon. Gentleman had said he would only go as far as the 24th clause, because there were no seriously contested Amendments before that clause; but the hon. MR. SCLATER-BOOTH said, he was and gallant Member for Galway (Major in accord with the feeling that the Bill Nolan) had produced an Amendment should proceed, and he regretted that raising a most important question, and, his hon. Friends had not shown a little therefore the ground on which the right hon. Gentleman thought the Committee should go was altered, and he thought the right hon. Gentleman would see that discretion was the better part of valour, and would not insist upon proceeding. The Bill was not blocked, so that Pro

him and those who supported him-for he felt certain they had no wish to interfere with Business that was not of a Party character, but was of substantial benefit to the country-to allow the Committee to proceed. Two divisions had shown a great majority; and he thought the right hon. Gentleman opposite, representing the action of the late Government, might claim the adhesion. of the noble Lord. He hoped the noble Lord would withdraw his Motion and allow the Committee to proceed in a reasonable manner.

more self-restraint, seeing that by that time they could have made fair progress. At the same time, he was not prepared to sit up all night; and he would put it to the right hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Dodson) whether he had not already advanced to within a few minutes

of the time which he had expected to | fraught with serious inconvenience to the reach.

MR. CHAPLIN did not wish to enter into a discussion as to whether the Bill had been well or ill managed, nor did he presume for a moment to criticize the mode in which the measure had been conducted by the right hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Dodson). The hon. Gentleman (Mr. Otway) had said, very truly, that there was no desire to impede the Bill; but there was a great desire on the part of the Members on that side of the House, of whom he did not hesitate to say he was one, to go to bed, because they would be obliged to be there again at 2 o'clock that day. There were other Notices and Orders still on the Paper which possessed great interest for some hon. Members, and which they were obliged to watch; but until the discussion of that Bill came to an end it was impossible for them to go home to bed. He hoped the Government, at that time in the morning, would not persist. It was all very well to say that the discussion would be over in a few minutes; but Amendments had been introduced raising important questions, and the discussion might last one and a-half hours or longer.

MR. DODSON said, he did not wish to continue this matter unnecessarily, and he would make a proposal to hon. Members opposite, which he hoped they would be willing to accept-namely, that they should dispose of the clause they were then on and then agree to report Progress. He would not enter into a controversy with the noble Lord as to the manner in which he had conducted the Bill. He would not dispute with the noble Lord as to his competency or incompetency; but he wished to say that he had endeavoured in conducting the Bill, whether ill or well, to conduct it with courtesy to hon. Members, and he did not wish to make an exception in that respect, even with regard to the noble Lord.

MR. HEALY remarked, that if halfan-hour ago the right hon. Gentleman had accepted his suggestion to continue until 2 o'clock he would have got the Bill through whole and entire by this time.

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR said, that, after all, this was only a question of one or two clauses, and he objected to working at that hour, because he believed that legislation after midnight was

Mr. Sclater-Booth

country. Acts were habitually passed with very little consideration and examination in the small hours of the morning; and it was invariably found, after a Session or two, that they were incomplete, and must be amended. That was his objection to proceeding further with this Bill.

MR. R. N. FOWLER wished to know how it was possible that any measure of a non-contentious character could be passed if such objections were raised. This was a Bill in which there was no disputed principle, and he thought the Committee should proceed with it.

Motion, by leave, withdrawn.

MAJOR NOLAN complained that the Bill proposed to extend the principle of requiring people to give up plans to other than works involving muriatic gas. There were certain processes in regard to sulphur which were very expensive, and he wished to point out that the Bill would increase the force of that provision at least 10 times. It was one thing to give up ordinary plans, but quite another to give up secret and technical plans. He thought the Amendment of the hon. Member for Swansea (Mr. Dillwyn), who spoke with great authority, was a very proper one; and he hoped the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Dodson) would give a pledge that the provision should only apply to works in which muriatic gas was produced.

MR. STEVENSON said, this was a Consolidation Bill; it included principles which had been the law of the land since the passing of the Alkali Act of 1862, and by the Act of 1874 it was applied to other gases than muriatic gas. He believed there was no real objection to this clause on the part of the manufacturers.

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR remarked, that if the words were omitted which were proposed to be left out, all reasonable objects would be attained by the clause. The owners would still be required to render all reasonable facilities for inspection. In the third line of the clause it was provided that plans should be given, but that they should be kept secret. In the second part of the clause, however, it appeared that the plans were to be communicated to the Inspectors, the Assistant Inspectors,