Management of Government Factories. MR. J. H. LEWIS: I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether his attention has been drawn to the Fifth Report of the Public Accounts Committee, which expresses the opinion that, looking at the vast sums which will assuredly be wasted, year after year, under incompetent management in an enormous manufacturing business like the Royal Arsenal, it would be true economy to offer salaries to persons placed in control of the several departments commensurate with those given in civil life; and whether the Government propose to take any action in the matter. friend, with all due emphasis, that this will not be, and cannot be, made a precedent for carrying over public Bills from session to session. MR. JAMES LOWTHER: I only want it to be made publicly known that this is not to constitute a precedent. MR. A. J. BALFOUR: Quite so, and if the right hon. Gentleman can suggest any form of words which will place more emphasis on my asseveration I shall be prepared to use them on the proper occasion. The War Commission. MR. ALFRED DAVIES (Carmarthen Boroughs): I beg to ask the Prime Minister a Question of which I have given him private notice-viz., what progress has been made with the inquiry into the conduct of the war, and when will the Report be in the hands of Members. MR. A. J. BALFOUR: I have only just received notice of the Question. There is some difficulty in communicating with a Royal Commission, which is independent of any Government office, and I cannot answer such a Question unless it appears in due course on the Paper. MR. A. DAVIES: I gave the notice to a messenger to hand to the right hon. Gentleman at four o'clock on Tuesday afternoon. I will inquire as to the cause of the delay. MR. BRYCE: Is it not the case that the Commission has concluded its inquiry and agreed upon its Report? MR. A. J. BALFOUR: Yes. The Secretary to the Treasury now tells me the Report is in the hands of the printers. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. MR. BRYCE: Will the Leader of the House state what arrangements have been made with regard to business for to-morrow? MR. A. J. BALFOUR: The only business to-morrow, so far as I know, plain of the state in which the Land Judges Court had been left, and intimated that when they came to that portion of the Bill he would claim to further amend it. after the Indian Budget, will be the down Amendments to some of the proThird Reading of the Revenue Bill and visions decided upon in the other the Third Reading of the Appropriation | Chamber. He wished particularly to comBill. I believe it would be convenient to the House to dispose of the Appropriation Bill so that nothing shall be left for Friday except the Prorogation; but if any considerable section of the House desires to have a discussion on the Third Reading, it will not be proper to put any pressure upon the House. MR. BRYCE: I think there will be a general concurrence in the statement of the First Lord of the Treasury, but I will take note that should there be a desire to discuss the Appropriation Bill it will not be taken at an unduly late hour. MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS. That they have agreed to: Railway (Electrical Power) Bill; South African Loan and War Contribution Bill; Military Works Bill; Public Works Loans Bill; Isle of Man (Customs) Bill, without Amendment. Burgh Police (Scotland) Bill; Town Councils (Scotland) Bill, with Amend ments. Lords Amendments considered. That they have agreed to: Sheep Scab was arrived at in its present shape after Bill, with an Amendment. NEW BILL. ALKALI, ETC., WORKS BILL. "To consolidate and amend the Akali, etc., Works Regulation Acts, 1881 and 1892," presented by Mr. Walter Long; supported by Mr. Grant Lawson; to be read a second time to-morrow, and to be printed. Bill 325.] IRISH LAND BILL. MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.) said he thought that, while the Government and the great landed proprietors in the other House had acted loyally, some of the Amendments were of a character which made them very difficult to deal with, and he complained that Members had not had the opportunity of putting He a prolonged and anxious period of consideration and received the approval of the representatives of all the parties interested. That being so, although they were quite ready to consider proposed Amendments, he thought that under the circumstances any Amendment should at least fulfil two conditions. In the first place it should be precise and unmistakable in its purport, and in the second place it should be of some advantage to the parties interested. would apply those tests to this Amendment. Was it so precise in its terminology that it would give rise to no future debates. He was told, by those best qualified to advise him, that these words if rigidly interpreted would prove a stimulus to future dissent and legislation. If they did not affect the general meaning of the clause then they became mere surplusage. He held that the Amendment was ambiguous, and likely to become a bone of contention. It was as one. Provided that the Land Commission may, if they think it necessary for furthering the purposes of this Act, dispense with the condition in this sub-section that the land purchased and resold shall be adjacent to or in the neighbourhood of the estate." MR. T. M. HEALY said his sympathies were with the House of Lords in this matter. He was sure the objection to this Amendment was purely a Treasury objection and that the heart of the Chief Secretary was not in it. Lords Amendment disagreed to. Amendment proposed to the Bill— "In line 26, at end of sub-section, to add the words 'provided that the Land Commission may, if they think it necessary for furthering the purposes of this Act, dispense with the condition in this sub-section that the land purchased and resold shall be adjacent to or in the neighbourhood of the estate," "(Mr. Wyndham.) Amendment agreed to. Lords Amendments. "In page 2, line 40, to leave out the words 'the' and insert the word 'a.' Line 42, after 'to the vendor.' Line 41, to leave out the word the word 'application' to insert 'within the prescribed time."" "In page 4, line 5, after the word 'it' to insert the words: (5) If the owner of any demesne or other land subject to sett'ement and sold to the Land Commission does not repurchase the same within the prescribed time, the Land Comtion mission may make an advance under this section to the trustees of the settlement, and in such case the land resold shall be held subject to the trusts of the settlement. (6) Any land resold in pursuance of this section shall not be subject to the provisions of the Local Registration of Title (Ireland) Act, 1891, relating to the devolution of freehold registered land. mission to insert the words 'with the consent "In page 5, line 5, after the word "Comof the owner,' the next Amendment, read a second time. Lords Amendments agreed to. Lords Amendment MR. WYNDHAM said this was a doubtful point, but he felt that he must ask the House to disagree with the Amendment. In the case of a sale to the Land Commission the Land Commission would become the vendor in lieu of the tenant, and no case of the guarantee deposit would arise. In the case of a sale from landlord to tenant it might be held that it was a matter entirely for the landlord. But the House were responsible for legislation, and the Government which introduced the legislation were responsible for its subsequent effects. This Amendment would apply only in the case of bargains outside and above the zone, which would result in a reduction of less than 10 per cent. Such bargains were not likely to be frequent, but they would occur in certain cases of very valuable tenancies. He doubted however whether they ought to legislate for such rare exceptions, all the more since, in his opinion, the Amendment was not in the true interest of either landlord or tenant. Looking at it from the point of view of the tenants, he did not think it would do any harm, though it might be held that there was an intention to raise the price. Looking at it from the point of view of the landlords, he had considered the matter very carefully. By such a statutory enactment they would almost be giving a direction to the Estates Commissioners that in every case where the price was above the zone they were to retain a guarantee deposit. If that was once done it would become the law for all futurity. Therefore, although he spoke with great diffidence, being the Minister most responsible for the Bill, and having come to the definite conclusion that the guarantee deposit had been a mistake in the past and would be a mistake in the future, he asked the House to disagree with the Lords' Amend ment. Amendment disagreed to. Lords Amendment. "In page 8, line 3, to leave out the words the exclusive." rights, and it stated that where the the next Amendment, read a second the balance of the acres as though he time. MR. WYNDHAM moved to agree with the Lords in the Amendment. matter. were the landlord. Coming to the more substantial changes, if the proposed Amendments were accepted the landlord who had not the exclusive rights over MR. T. M. HEALY thought the House the whole of his property, would be able MR. T. M. HEALY thought the House to obtain that right by treaty with the were entitled to some explanation on this tenant before the sale was effected. He As he understood it the right would then have the exclusive right, hon. Gentleman proposed to omit the and would be able either to retain it or words "the exclusive," and to insert in the the tenant. If the to convey it to next line the words" sporting rights exclusive of the tenant." He would like to un-veyed to the tenant purchaser, it went to right was neither retained nor conderstand what the difference was between the Land Commission to be dealt with the two forms of phraseology. The question of sporting rights was discussed as might hereafter be determined. Nonat length in Committee, and a kind of understanding arrived at between the two sides. He did not desire to increase the difficulties of the Government at this period of the session, but before the Amendment was agreed to he would like some explanation of the change. MR. WYNDHAM thought it would be convenient now to state what the general effect of the Lords Amendment and of the Amendment he proposed to move would be. The first sub-section of the clause as it stood dealt with exclusive Mr. Wyndham. If the landlord had not the exclusive right exclusive rights were left out of account. and did not acquire it before the sale, the whole fee-simple was conveyed to him. right went to the tenant, because the If the landlord did that, and if there was a non-exclusive right in the hands of the tenant, why then if he resided there the chances were, the certainty in his opinion. that he would be the first and best able on the most favourable terms to have the shooting from the tenant and the man to whom the tenant was most likely to let. In that way if the landlord wished to enjoy the amenities of sport he was more likely than anybody else to get the | The hon. Member himself, and his colshooting and to enjoy it. That was the leagues in this House, were the repreresult which would accrue if his Amend- rentatives of a large number of persons ment to the Amendment passed in the who had no voice here except through other House were accepted. them, and he was perfectly certain that, in the attitude they had adopted in the debates, they were actuated throughout MR MURPHY (Kerry, E.) said they understood that a compromise was arrived at when the Bill was being discussed in this House, and none of them anticipated that a change would be made in the House of Lords. One of the extra ordinary things which those interested in the tenants had observed recently, was the fact that while the House of Lords the fact that while the House of Lords was composed mainly of landlords they had not the least hesitation in taking part in the discussion of this measure which affected the interests of their class. References were sometimes made in their House to the impropriety of company directors and others voting upon matters in which they were directly interested. But in this matter of sporting rights it was otherwise with the House of Lords. A large number of tenants in Ireland went into Court and had fair rents fixed. They were simply concerned with the question of what the rent in future would be, and owing to their ignorance of the law they were deprived by the landlords or their representatives of their sporting rights. What would happen if the Amendment now proposed by the right hon. Gentleman were accepted? appeared to him that the landlords would, if they were so minded, simply disagree with the tenants in the matter of sporting rights. Then the Estates Commissioners would inquire into the position, and the judicial tenants would find that while they had a legal right to the land they had no legal claim whatever on the sporting rights. He thought the Bill should be allowed to remain as it left this House. They should not introduce a change which would have the effect of prejudicing a large number of tenants in Ireland. It MR. WYNDHAM said the hon. Member had complained that noble Lords in anothor place had looked at this Bill more or less from the point of view of the landlords. Was that such a terrible thing? The hon. Member seemed to think that they had not taken a proper view of the proposals brought before them. He himself did not think that that was a charge to be laid against them. by a great sense of responsibility and were not so well circumstanced as them- place might alike congratulate themselves |