Letters and Papers Concerning the Trans-Persian Railway and Other Railways in Persia [‎212v] (424/442)

695
Persia.
[ LORDS ] Uniform Time {Ireland) Bill. 696
than they have done in the past on the
lines indicated by my noble friend behind
me. What, after all, did he ask for ?
That there should be introduced into
our negotiations either with Russia or
with Persia the spirit, not merely of
loyalty to our own assurances, but even
of standing up where the occasion arises
to stand up against the action of those
who are disloyal to them. I do honestly
think that His Majesty’s Government
might show greater spirit in their dealings
—a little more courage, a little less
acquiescence, a little more delicate regard
for the interests of Persia itself. I am
not one of those who wish to see the Anglo-
Russian Agreement, profoundly as I dissent
from some of the terms on which it was
concluded, torn up. But if spirit is shown
on the one side, let spirit also be shown
on the other. Let the British Government
show more emphatically than they have
hitherto done that the one object they
have in view and on which they mean to
insist is the continued vindication of the
independence and integrity of that unhappy
country.
*Lord LAMINGTON: My Lords, I
wish to disclaim the suggestion made
by the noble Marquess the Leader of
the House that my alternatives were
anarchy or annexation. I said that I
look to the gendarmerie to produce
order again in Persia. -May I take it
that the noble Marquess adheres to the
terms of the statement made by Lord
Morley last December—that in no circum
stances would His Majesty’s Government
recognise the return of the ex-Shah
Mohamed Ali ?
*The Marquess op CREWE : The noble
Lord knows that I cannot speak definitely
on behalf of the Foreign Office because
I do not represent it. The noble Lord,
I think, was not quite accurate in saying
that we had withdrawn the stipulation
that in no case would the ex-Shah be
allowed to return to Persia without our
leave. I think, as a matter of fact, that j
the position was maintained that a return I
of the ex-Shah into Persia at all without
our consent was altogether inadmissible,
and to that the Russian Government
agreed. On the general merits, I may
say that all I know of the character
and proceedings of the ex-Shah would
lead me to .suppose that there is little
or no prospect of any such leave being
given.
Earl Curzon of Kedleston.
UNIFORM TIME (IRELAND) BILL, [in..]
Order of the Day for the House to be
put into Committee, read.
Moved, That the House do now resolve
itself into Committee .—Earl of Shaftes-
| bury.)
On Question, Motion agreed to.
House in Committee accordingly.
[The Earl op Donoughmore in the
Chair.]
Lord ASHBY ST. LEDGERS: The
Amendments which I have on the Paper
are put down with a view of making the
language in this Bill similar to the language
used in the Act of 18S0, and I merely
submit them as suggestions to the noble
Earl in charge of the Bill. I do not think
they can have any effect upon the intention
which the noble Earl has in view, and I
merely suggest to him what I think would
be better phraseology than that at present
in the Bill. Statute time is defined by
the Act of 1880, and the wording of that
Act is as follows—
“ Whenever any expression of time occurs in
any Act of Parliament, deed, or other legal docu
ment, the time referred to shall, unless it is other
wise specifically stated, be held in the case of
Great Britain to be Greenwich mean time and in
the case of Ireland Dublin mean time.”
I suggest to the noble Earl that it would
' Much better to adhere to that language
I than to adopt the language in his Bill.
The Earl op SHAFTESBURY : I am
q^uite satisfied that the Amendments on the
Paper do not infringe the spirit of the
Bill but improve the drafting, and I accept
them.
Clause 1 :
Application of Greenwich Time to Ireland.
L official time to be kept in Ireland and in
all public places and works therein shall be
Greenwich time, and, notwithstanding anything to
ti ! e rn contrar .V contained in the Statutes (Definition
o lime) Act, 1880, whenever any expression of
time occurs in any Act of Parliament or in any
rule, regulation, proclamation, or other document
issued by or under any legal authority or in any
eed or other legal instrument, the time referred to
s lall in the case of Ireland be deemed and held to
be Greenwich time.