Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: Can the right hon. Gentleman state if the planters who were without weapons now have been issued with them, or on what date he expects that revolvers will be issued to those planters living in lonely places?
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I would first like to support what my hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge (Mr. G. Williams) has just said about the pensions for disabled ex-Service men and women. During the Recess I was approached by some 20 branches of the British Legion in my constituency, and I gave a definite pledge that I would support these disabled ex-Service men and women in asking for an increase in their...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I wish to raise the question of the shortage of sugar in this country. I have already heard complaints that people are stopping picking blackberries because there is not sufficient sugar with which to make jam. It is a pity if good wholesome fruit is wasted as a result. This question also affects the mineral water manufacturers. I am a fortunate person in that I prefer a glass of ginger ale...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: The right hon. Gentleman has stated that when a citizen of Eire comes to England he enjoys all the rights and privileges of a British subject. I should like him also to make it clear that when a British subject from England goes to Eire he will enjoy there all the rights and privileges of an Eire citizen.
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: Then I understand that no agreement of any kind has been come to on this subject.
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I would like to say a word or two as to the number of Members of Parliament from Northern Ireland and their reduction from 13 to 12. In the Boundary Commission's Report for Northern Ireland, the Commissioners pointed out that 71,000 electors were required to return a Member from Northern Ireland and only 57,000 to return a Member from Great Britain. We have there a population of 1,300,000,...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I am sorry that I cannot give the number who voted at the last election. I believe that the number of voters today is just over 6,000, but I would not like to take an oath on that point. A knowledge of history is a thing which every Member of Parliament should have. An hon. Member said that most of us between the ages of 16 and 24 were too busy earning our living to be able to study history....
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I have listened to the speeches from all sides of the House, and when the hon. Member for South Leicester (Mr. Bowden) mentioned that every tax might be unpopular, it occurred to me that the extra tax on whisky would not arouse any vociferous protests from the members of the Band of Hope. To another hon. Member who mentioned that the money spent upon defence by the Coalition Government...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: It is all right for the chartered accountants, but when a man is working a small farm from morning till night it is another difficulty for him, tired out, at night, to make up these accounts, although it may mean only another five or ten guineas; and I dare say the chartered accountants have plenty of work to do at the present moment. We all know that there was a good deal of harm done to...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: During the past two or three weeks, since this Bill was published, I have been round among the fishermen, and those connected with the fishing industry in Northern Ireland, in an endeavour to find out their opinions of this Bill. The general comment that I heard expressed was in favour of the Bill, and the only complaint was that it did not go far enough. The Secretary of State for Scotland...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I beg to move, in page 141, line 15, column 2, to leave out "and."
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I certainly agree that it would be a good thing if these Amendments can be considered together. When the Report of the Boundary Commission came out, I and my friends from Comber, Portavogie and Strangford were dissatisfied with the Report, but were prepared to accept it because we realised that the Commission had gone very fully and impartially into the question. I was astonished to find...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: In view of the Under-Secretary's reply, and to save the time of the Committee, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I want to point out the facts as I really believe they are. The border between Eire and Northern Ireland is not the same as the border between Yorkshire and Lancashire, or even the border between England and Scotland. After all, in Yorkshire and Lancashire and in England and Scotland they all acknowledge one King and one flag. Mr. de Valera—and he is quite sincere in his belief—has said...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: What about the flags?
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: The first point I wish to raise is with regard to the B.E.A. and the continuance of the service between Liverpool, Manchester and London. It is a service by which I have often travelled, and it has been made use of in the past by a great many manufacturers in Belfast. They have crossed by air to Liverpool or Manchester, and afterwards have travelled on by that air service to London....
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I have always been in favour of the university constituencies, but having heard the length of time taken by some university Members in making their speeches today, I am beginning to be opposed to them. I am asking for some favour for Northern Ireland from the House and from the Home Secretary, and I shall have to be very careful not to make the same mistake as some of the university Members...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: I understand that the Prime Minister in question was born a British subject. At the present time, any British subject born in a Dominion could sit here. Mr. Jinnah or Mr. Nehru could be a Member of this House, and so could Mr. Bustamente from Jamaica. I am not quite sure on that point when I come to Eire. I can never quite make out whether the people in Eire are British subjects or not. Mr....
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: No doubt my hon. Friend the Member for Queen's University will admit that citizens of Eire are at times in possession of British passports. Mr. de Valera being so clever, let us consider his views upon proportional representation. When the Parliaments of Ireland, one in the South and one in the North started, they both enjoyed—or did not enjoy—proportional representation. Northern Ireland...
Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Smiles: My hon. Friend the Member for Fermanagh and Tyrone (Mr. Mulvey) may be right, but if—
