[316:1] S.O. 5.
[316:2] Cf. Todd, "Parl. Govt. in England," II., 368. Ilbert, "Legislative Methods and Forms," 82, 216.
[316:3] The only cases where a government bill has been rejected by the House of Commons for more than a score of years are those of the Home Rule Bill in 1886, on which the cabinet dissolved Parliament, and an insignificant bill on church buildings in the Isle of Man, which was defeated in a thin House in 1897.
[317:1] Cf. Todd, "Parl. Govt. in England," II., 370-72.
[317:2] The number of amendments to government bills (not including the estimates) carried against the government whips acting as tellers in each year since 1850, has been as follows:—
| 1851 | 9 | 1865 | 4 | 1879 | 1 | 1893 | 1 |
| 1852 | 2 | 1866 | 2 | 1880 | 0 | 1894 | 0 |
| 1853 | 6 | 1867 | 8 | 1881 | 0 | 1895 | 0 |
| 1854 | 7 | 1868 | 7 | 1882 | 1 | 1896 | 1 |
| 1855 | 5 | 1869 | 2 | 1883 | 3 | 1897 | 0 |
| 1856 | 7 | 1870 | 2 | 1884 | 3 | 1898 | 0 |
| 1857 | 4 | 1871 | 4 | 1885 | 4 | 1899 | 0 |
| 1858 | 2 | 1872 | 8 | 1886 | 2 | 1900 | 0 |
| 1859 | 1 | 1873 | 4 | 1887 | 1 | 1901 | 1 |
| 1860 | 4 | 1874 | 0 | 1888 | 1 | 1902 | 0 |
| 1861 | 6 | 1875 | 0 | 1889 | 0 | 1903 | 0 |
| 1862 | 6 | 1876 | 0 | 1890 | 0 | 1904 | 2 |
| 1863 | 4 | 1877 | 0 | 1891 | 1 | 1905 | 1 |
| 1864 | 2 | 1878 | 0 | 1892 | 0 | 1906 | 0 |
[317:3] The minister often says that he will consider whether he can meet the views that have been expressed; and then on the report stage he brings up a compromise clause. An interesting example of this occurred on July 23, 1906, when the Opposition complained that sufficient time had not been given for debating the educational council for Wales, the provisions proposed having been profoundly changed since it had been last before the House. The government replied that the changes had been made to meet objections raised by the Opposition itself. Hans. 4 Ser. CLXI., 741 et seq.
[318:1] For France, see Dupriez, Les Ministres, II., 406-8, 410-13. Lowell, "Governments and Parties," I., 111-17. For Italy, Dupriez, I., 309, 312. Lowell, I., 207-10. For Belgium, where the evil is diminished by greater party discipline, and by the fact that the changes proposed by the committee must be moved as amendments to the government bill, see Dupriez, I., 243-45. In France permanent standing committees have been very extensively substituted during the last few years for temporary ones appointed to consider particular bills; but while this may do good in other ways, it cannot entirely remove the evil described in the text.
[319:1] In each of the years 1894 and 1899, for example,—years for which I have analysed the divisions in Parliament,—only one government bill, that was enacted, was referred to a select committee, and neither of these bills had a division on party lines in the course of its progress through the House.
[319:2] Hans. 3 Ser. CCLXXV., 149.