[298:1] After giving notice of his intention to do so, he moved, on Feb. 21, 1881, that all clauses and amendments of the Protection of Life and Property (Ireland) Bill should be put to vote in Committee of the Whole at twelve o'clock that night. This was done, and repeated upon the report stage of the bill (Hans. 3 Ser. CCLVIII., 1092, 1344, 1392, 1472, 1608, 1665, 1672-75). The same process was adopted a few days later for the Peace Preservation (Ireland) Bill. (Hans. 3 Ser. CCLIX., 657, 659, 691-95,697, 740, 762-65.) [298:2] Hans. 3 Ser. CCCXV., 1594. [299:1] Hans. 3 Ser. CCCXVI., 484-88. [299:2] Hans. 4 Ser. XIV., 590. [299:3] Hans. 4 Ser. XXVII., 1410-46. In this case, for the first time, the report stage was included in the original motion. [299:4] Hans. 4 Ser. CXIV., 735-38. [299:5] One of the latest and most elaborate examples of its use was on the Territorial and Reserve Forces Bill of 1907. Hans. 4 Ser. CLXXIII., 1367-70, 1463-66. [300:1] _Cf._ Hans. 4 Ser. XXXVII., 727. [300:2] _Ibid._, 732. [300:3] _Ibid._, 728-730. [300:4] It may be assumed that the House will never reject any of the outstanding grants, but a useless number of divisions might be forced in voting upon them. As the number of such grants is usually little short of one hundred, the time wasted in walking through the lobbies on the last night might be monstrous. To avoid this a rule was adopted in 1901 that when the allotted time expired, all the remaining grants in any one class should be put to vote together. Hans. 4 Ser. XCVIII., 1619-20. [300:5] S.O. 15. [300:6] Three more days may be added by special order. [300:7] These include the votes on account, but only one day can be given to each of the three votes on account, and only one sitting, or half a day, to the report of such a vote. Days devoted to supplementary estimates or votes of credit are not included; nor are those days on which the question must be put that the Speaker leave the chair, because those days are really occupied not by the votes of supply, but by general criticism of the government. (See Chap. XVIII., _infra_.) The short sitting of Friday counts as half a day. This does not apply to private bills, questions, and the other matters that are taken up in the first hour, before the regular orders of the day are reached. [301:1] Mr. Balfour said this frankly in the debate on the rule in 1896. (Hans. 4 Ser. XXXVII., 724-26.) [301:2] Hans. 4 Ser. XCVIII., 1548. CHAPTER XVI PROCEDURE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS _Sittings and Order of Business_ [Sidenote: Sittings of the House.]