During the past week Parliament has been chiefly occupied with
the Report stage of the Budget. On Wednesday Mr. Asquith made a statement as to the course of public business. He informed the House that on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week the third reading of the Finance Bill would be taken, the division being on Thursday night. On Friday, November 5th, the House would be asked to consider the Lords' amendments to the Irish Land Bill. There would be a Motion to enable the amendments to be put as a whole. This appears to mean that it is the intention of the Government to reject all the alterations that the Lords have made in the Bill, which would of course result in the loss of the measure ; but the Times states that there is reason to believe that here the Government are only bluffing, and that Mr. Birrell is still open to a compromise. Mr. Asquith went on to say that at the commencement of the sitting on November 5th a formal Motion would be made that the House should adjourn till November 23rd. This is understood to mean that an arrangement has been come to under which the Peers will take a fortnight in which to consider the Finance Bill. The House of Lords will be occupied on November 8th and 9th in considering the Irish Land Bill and other measures returned to them from the Commons, and they will then read the Finance Bill a first time and adjourn till November 22nd, when the second reading will be taken. The debate thereon is expected to last four days, and therefore the fate of the Budget should be decided either on Thursday, November 25th, or Friday, the 26th.
Previous page
