Major Rasch's Motion to limit speeches other than those delivered
by Ministers, ex-Ministers, or movers of a Bill or Resolution to twenty minutes' duration, furnished the House of Commons with an hour's excellent entertainment on Tuesday evening. Major Reach, in a concise history of the movement, gave some ludicrous examples of great speeches on small sub- jects—e.g., that of the Member who spoke for an hour and twenty minutes on the question of undersized fish—and Sir A. Acland-Hood, who supported him, happily described the Motion as an attempt to substitute a, mobile quickfiring weapon for the more ponderous and large-bore weapons of the past. Mr. Balfour in a graceful and humorous speech sympathised with the aim of the reformers, but deprecated the adoption of any hard-and-fast rule, especially as the tendency, during his own Parliamentary experience, had been all in the direction of brevity. After Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman had expressed his entire concurrence with Mr. Balfour, described the salutary effect on himself of the ten minutes' rale, and vindicated his right to exercise the traditional privilege of the Opposition by the announcement that he intended to support the Motion because he regarded a vote on this subject as a pious opinion in favour of short speeches, the Motion was lost by 137 to 91.
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