When the House once more got into Committee on the
Local Taxation Bill, a vehement discussion arose about Lord Hartington's indication at the Liberal Unionist meeting on Friday, that a Committee of Inquiry was to be appointed on the compensation question, the Government being put to the question as to whether this Committee had been forced upon them by the Liberal Unionists. This Lord Hartington entirely denied, and declared that he had made the statement only on information received, though he supposed that some of it had come from members of the Government. Hereupon Mr. Ritchie declared that Lord Randolph Churchill had sug- gested the Committee, a suggestion with which the Government were by no means in love, though they did not see any serious objection to it. Then Mr. Bolitho, a Liberal Unionist, avowed his intention of voting against the Local Taxation Bill for the first time ; and after the Committee got to details, Mr. Shaw-Lefevre's amendment proposing to " hang up " the purchase of licences till the County Councils should receive control of the licensing powers, was rejected by a majority of 33 (232 to 199), and Mr. Evans's motion exempting Wales from the Bill, and leaving the money for the purchase of licences to be used by the Welsh County Councils as they thought fit, was rejected by a majority of 45 (249 votes to 204), after which this violent evening, which had, however, become less violent towards the close, came to an end.
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