point of this kind is a question which | proposal from the experience we had last it is impossible for me to answer.

FLORDE BALFOUR OF BURLEIGH: There has always seemed to me one THE EARL OF ROSEBERY: My suggestion for remedying the undoubted Lords, I am afraid we do not get much evils from which we suffer which never assistance from my noble friend who has seems to receive sufficient consideration. just sat down. I do not think I ever I think there are very great difficulties in remember a session in which it securing the object which the noble Lord was not proposed to the Government has in view by meeting earlier in the that they should introduce some of year and promising not to sit later. their important measures in this House. My belief is that, however early I am a little disappointed that the Govern- you meet, you will sit on to that ment have not adopted their favourite remedy of a Select Committee to consider this question. My noble friend Lord Newton has rather pointedly alluded to the ironical proposition I made last year that the House of Lords should go out on strike. I am disposed to reconsider that

L. Windsor.
L. Balfour.
L. Boyle. (E.
and Orrery.)
L. Ribblesdale.
L. Colchester.
L. Rosebery.
Rosebery.)

concerned, and in no way prejudice the V. Churchill.
public interest. It is that in regard, at
any rate, to some of the Bills which come
up from the House of Commons we should
carry them over to a subsequent session.
The prejudice against that proposal is
not altogether wise. In the case of
private measures, Bills are sometimes
carried over from one Parliament to
another, and there is no abstract constitu-
tional difficulty in adopting the course I
have suggested in regard to those public
Bills which are not of first-class
importance.

LORD NEWTON: My Lords, with the permission of the House, I wish to say a very few words in reply to the observations of Lord Tweedmouth. His contention was that, whatever happened, we should get these Bills at the fag end of the session. My objection is that at present we get them up in August, when no one remains in town. If the session ended in December there would be no difficulty in securing an adequate attendance of Peers.

SEA FISHERIES BILL.

L. Kintore. (E. Kin-
tore.)

L. Belper.
CorkL. Tweedmouth.
L. Monk Bretton.
L. Macnaghten.
L. Welby.
(E.L. Burghclere.

House adjourned at a quarter before Seven o'clock, to Thurs. day next, half-past Ten o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Tuesday, 23rd February, 1904.

The House met at Two of the Clock.

UNOPPOSED PRIVATE BILL
BUSINESS.

PRIVATE BILLS (STANDING ORDER 62 COMPLIED WITH).

Mr. SPEAKER laid upon the Table Report from one of the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills, That, in the

The following Lords were named of the case of the following Bills, referred on Select Committee

the First Reading thereof, Standing Order No. 62 has been complied with, viz. :—Bexhill Water and Gas Bill; Croydon Gas Bill. Ordered, That the Bills be read a second time.

PRIVATE BILL PETITIONS [LORDS] (STANDING ORDERS NOT COMPLIED WITH).

Mr. SPEAKER laid upon the Table Report from one of the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills, That, in the case of the Petition for the following Bil, originating in the Lords, the Standing Orders have not been complied with, viz.: Marylebone Chapels (St. James, Westmoreland Street). Ordered, That the Report be referred to the Select Committee on Standing Orders.

Rotherham Corporation Bill; Torquay Tramways Bill. Read a second time, and committed.

POLICE AND SANITARY COMMITTEE.

Order read, for resuming adjourned debate on Question [22nd February],

"That the Committee of Selection do he referred to of absence of persona nominate a Committee, not exceeding interest in the business to be done by eleven Members, to be called the Police the Committee should be made by the and Sanitary Committee, to whom shall members in the same way as was done by be committed all Private Bills promoted members of all Committees on Private by municipal and other local authorities Bills, but he feared that that would by which it is proposed to create powers involve a very complicated alteration of relating to Police or Sanitary Regulations Standing Orders. He wished to take in conflict with, deviation from, or excess that opportunity of bearing testimony of the provisions of the general Law." to the admirable manner in which the (Mr. Cochrane.) Committee had done its work-work which did not come before the public in any way,, but which was more severe than that of Private Bill Committees, and which involved great personal inconvenience.

Question again proposed.

*SIR CHARLES DILKE (Gloucestershire, Forest of Dean) said it was necessary he should reply to some observations made by the hon. Member for the Rushcliffe Division of Nottingham, on the previous day, in regard to the appointment of this Committee, and the part it took with respect to the action of municipal corporations and local authorities. Many

hon. Members on the Government Benches were of opinion that municipalities should be crushed, while those of the Opposition mostly thought with himself that the Committee had rather erred in the direction of preventing these bodies acting freely on the views of the local inhabitants The opinions of the hon. Members in favour of restricting the grant of powers were rather against those to which he was giving expression. However, he took it that the hon. Member was not opposed to municipal trading. He had cited two cases in which police powers given in the 1886 Parliament had led to debate in that House, but he had admitted that the objection to which they gave rise had not arisen in regard to later Acts. It was therefore not necessary to go into that matter. There was a great deal to be said on both sides of the question, but he wished it to be understood that the House generally must not be taken as concurring in the suggestion that local authorities were going too far in these matters.

MR. HALSEY (Hertfordshire, Watford), as Chairman of the Committee of Selection, said they took the greatest care in choosing members for this particular Committee and he believed that the manner in which it did its work met with the approbation of the House. He agreed with the hon. Member that it

the Committee.
Ordered, That Four be the quorum of

Ordered, That if the Committee shall report to the Committee of Selection that any clauses of any Bill referred to them (other than clauses containing police and sanitary regulations) are such, as having regard to the terms of reference, it is not in their opinion necessary or advisable for them to deal with, the Committee of Selection shall thereupon refer the Bill to a Select Committee, who shall consider those clauses and so much of the Preamble of the Bill as relates thereto, and shall determine the expenditure (if any) to be authorised in respect of the parts of the Bill referred to them. That the Committee shall deal with the remaining clauses of such Bill, and so much of the Preamble as relates thereto, and shall determine the period and mode of repayment of any money authorised by the Select Committee to be borrowed and shall report the whole Bill to the House, stating in their report what parts of the Bill have been considered by each Committee.

Ordered, That the Committee have power, if they so determine, to sit as two Committees, and in that event to apportion the Bills referred to the Committee

INTERMEDIATE EDUCATION (IRELAND).

Copy presented, of Rule made by the Intermediate Education Board for Ireland in substitution for Rule 28 of 1st May, 1903 [by Act]; to lie upon the Table.

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS.

Copy presented, of Memorandum summarising the Regulations in force in foreign countries with regard to British

Petition from London, in favour; to Commercial Travellers [by Command]; lie upon the Table.

LICENCE HOLDERS.

Petition from Newport (Isle of Wight), for redress of grievances; to lie upon the Table.

LICENCES (RENEWAL).

to lie upon the Table.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CIRCULATED WITH THE VOTES.

Progress made with Pier at Aultbea.

MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty): To ask the Secretary for Scotland, having regard to the fact that last year the Board of Trade granted a Provisional Order for the construction of a pier at Aultbea, Ross-shire, will he state what progress has been made with the works.

Petitions against alteration of Law; from Whitchurch; Barnstaple; Ilfracombe (three); Altrincham; Sheffield; Bolton; Millom; Burnley; Cleckheaton; Kingston on Thames; Llannor; Ashton in Mersey; Moreton in Marsh; Shipton Oliffe; Rochdale; Cefny Bedd; Halkyn; Seven Sisters; Trealaw; Luton; Ffestiniog; Mountsorrel; Brockley; Rus- (Answered by Mr. A. Graham Murray) holme; Partick; Pye Bank; Bromley; Under the Provisional Order the underYork, Aberdovery; Tottenham; Oxford; takers are not under any obligation to Chorley; Westminster; Llanarmon; Llanarmon; commence the works until 1905; but Ruthin (three); Colwyn Bay; Abergele; by their courtesy I am informed that Llangollen; Stepney; Oldham; Paisley; they hope to complete the pier during Penrhyndendraeth; Salford; Builth; the present year. Yngs; Pennal; Talgarth (two); Gwynfa; Llanon; Brynhiwgaled; Bala; Maida Vale; Hackleton; Huby; Dewsbury; Manchester; Gwyddgrug; and Kidwelly; to lie upon the Table.

TAXATION OF FEU DUTIES. Petition from Kilmarnock, for legislation; to lie upon the Table.

RETURNS, REPORTS, ETC.

POOR PRISONERS' DEFENCE ACT, 1903 Paper [presented 11th February] to be printed. [No. 71.]

Prosecutions for Illegal Trawling. MR. WEIR: To ask the Secretary for Scotland if he will state the number of prosecutions for illegal trawling during the past year; and in how many cases convictions were secured.

(Answered by Mr. A. Graham Murray.) During 1903 there were twenty-seven prosecutions undertaken in the Sheriff Courts of Scotland for illegal trawling; and convictions were obtained in twentyfive of these cases.

School Board Electorate in Scotland. MR. WEIR: To ask the Secretary for Scotland, having regard to the fact that