Lord Ripon announced in the Lords late on Wednesday night
that the Government did not propose to proceed with the Scottish Small Holdings Bill. The announcement came as a surprise, for early in the afternoon Lord Ripon had professed satisfaction with Lord Lansdowne's declaration as to the intentions of the Opposition,—viz., that they would read the Bill a second time on Friday on the understanding that they would amend it by rejecting the Land Court clauses, and by inserting provisions similar to those in the English Bill, while preserving the clauses amending the Crofters Acts. Subse- quently the English Bill was discussed and amended in Com- mittee, after which Lord Ripon made the announcement already referred to. Lord Lansdowne expressed his regret at the sacrifice of the valuable portions of the measure, in which the Opposition would have gladly co-operated, and Lord Rose- bery declared that the postponement of the legislation for the amelioration of the crofters that was held out as an induce- ment to Parliament rested on the Government, and on them alone.
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