Lord Dunraven on Friday week made another attempt to induce
the House of Lords to allow more time for its debates, and so give the younger Peers a chance of intervening. The Lords will dine at eight, and do not care to return, and he there- fore moved that the House should assemble at four, instead of five -o'clock. Lord Granville supported him, though he repudiated the notion that Peers were the only human beings who liked their dinners ; but Lord Beaconsfield strongly opposed him, alleging that the Peers who attended Committees would be exhausted, and that the early hour might interfere with the business of the Law Lords, and with an hour which heads of Departments who were also Peers—"as was now the case to a greater extent than before"— found most valuable. As there are some Secretaries of State still left in the Commons, being fortunately kept there by statute, this is a poor argument, the true one being that Ministers prefer short hours, because there is less deliberation and more of what they call "business." Ministers never want their measures more debated than they can help. The motion was rejected by 101 to 64 and though brought forward annually, will never be carried until there are Life Peers who will enjoy debate.
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