I have a proposal to make on this stage and I should like to ask the Seanad to postpone the Report Stage of the Bill until next week. Certain matters have recently come to my knowledge but I did not raise the question, which I intend to raise, on the last occasion. I have since made myself aware of the great extent of a permanent Bill for the Defence Forces and I think that Senators will be anxious to revise their action on the last occasion when they hear what I have got to say. I have brought with me the British Manual of Military Law. Senators can see that it is of good size, a big, solid book. It is divided into several parts. It is not all taken up with the Army Act but the Army Act consists of 198 pages alone of that book. The Rules of Procedure which accompany it occupy another 154 pages, and provisions relating to the Territorial Reserve Forces occupy 35 pages. That is a total of 387 pages. On the last occasion here the Minister was pressed to promise definitely that he would produce a permanent Bill at a certain date and he said that he would if he could. He avoided, as far as I can remember, making any definite statement about it. He did not make any definite statement. He has no knowledge of the motion which I am making now as I did not inform anybody of my intention until I came into the House. I was advised that the best way to bring the matter up was to move the adjournment of this stage of the Bill and to bring forward my amendment on the next occasion. I think anybody who looks at this book will see what a difficult and troublesome business it is to introduce a Bill of this magnitude. It is quite possible that after this Bill has emerged from the Minister's own Department other persons will go through it and make some very big changes. We can form some idea of what a serious matter this is when we consider that the British book runs to 387 pages. I would ask that the Report Stage be postponed until this day week, when I intend to bring forward a motion asking the Seanad to reconsider the decision at which it arrived on the last day.
Public Business. - Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) (No. 2) Bill, 1934—Report Stage.
Cathaoirleach
The Senator, if he wishes, can formally move that the Report Stage be adjourned until next Wednesday. That motion should be seconded and it can then be put to the House. Do you wish to make that motion, Senator?
Yes.
I did not know that such a motion was to be moved, but I beg to second it in order that the matter may be further considered.
Cathaoirleach
The Minister is here now, and he might like to say something on the motion. It is suggested that further consideration of the Bill be adjourned until next Wednesday.
The Minister until this minute knew nothing of what I had intended to move. I am making the motion entirely on my own initiative. I have been showing the Seanad the size of the British Manual and the number of pages occupied by the Army Act. I was of opinion that this Stage of the Bill might be adjourned to allow of the matter to be further considered.
Cathaoirleach
Does the House agree to Senator Moore's proposal? I may say that I had already given Senator Connolly a promise that I would try to have the Final Stage of the Bill considered to-day. The question now is whether we should take the Report Stage now.
I may say that I had not heard of this motion before now.
Cathaoirleach
It has been sprung on me, too.
It is a matter for the House.