pensed with, and whether, in their opinion, the
parties should be permitted to proceed with their
Bill, or any portion thereof, and under what (if any)
conditions.
54. All Petitions praying that any of the Sessional
or Standing Orders of the House relating to Private
Bills may be dispensed with, and all Petitions oppos-
ing the same, shall be presented to the House by
depositing the same in the Examiner's Office, and
every such Petition so deposited shall stand referred
to the Joint Committee on Standing Orders, which
shall report to the House whether such Sessional or
Standing Orders ought or ought not to be dispensed
with.

PRESENTATION OF PETITION TO THE HOUSE, AND
FURTHER PROCEEDINGS.

55. A Petition for a Private Bill having been
    indorsed by the Examiner, must be presented to the
    House by a Member, with a printed copy of the Bill
    annexed, not later than three clear days after such
    indorsement, or if when so indorsed the House shall
    not be sitting, then not later than three clear days
    after the first sitting.
56. If the Standing Orders have been complied
    with, the Bill is at once ordered to be brought in;
    if not complied with, the Bill stands referred to the
    Joint Committee on Standing Orders.
57. Before the First Reading of every Private Bill,
    printed copies of the Bill must be delivered, at the
    expense of the promoters, to the Clerk of the House,
    for the use of Members.
58. A Bill having been read a Second Time, stands
    referred to the Committee of Selection.
59. The Committee of Selection nominates the
    Committee on the Bill.
60. Every unopposed Private Bill is referred by
    the Committee of Selection to the Chairman of Com-
    mittees and four other Members, of whom one is to
    be a Member who had been ordered to prepare and
    bring in the Bill, and the other three Members not
    locally or otherwise interested.
61. No Bill will be considered as an opposed Bill,
    unless previously to the Second Reading of the Bill
    a Petition has been presented against it, in which
    the Petitioners pray to be heard by themselves, their
    Counsel, Agents, and Witnesses, or unless the Chair-
    man of Committees reports to the House that any
    Bill ought to be so treated.
62. Every opposed Bill is referred by the Com-
    mittee of Selection to a Chairman, and four Members
    not locally or otherwise interested therein.
63. The Committee of Selection shall have the
    power of discharging any Member or Members of a
    Committee, and substituting another Member or
    other Members.
64. Committees shall be allowed to proceed if
    three of the five Members shall be present, but not a
    less number, unless by special leave of the House.
65. No Member of a Committee on an opposed
    Private Bill shall absent himself from his duties
    thereon, except in case of sickness, or by leave of
    the House.
66. If the Chairman shall be absent from the
    Committee, another Member present shall be elected
    to act as Chairman.
67. If any of the Members shall not be present
    within half an hour after the time appointed for the
    meeting of the Committee, or if any Member shall
    absent himself from his duties on such Committee,
    every such Member shall be reported to the House
    at its next sitting.
68. All questions before Committees on Private
    Bills shall be decided by a majority of voices, in-
    cluding the voice of the Chairman; and whenever
    the voices are equal, the Chairman shall have a
    second or casting vote.
69. The Committee on each Bill shall, from time to
    time, appoint the day upon which they will enter
    upon the consideration of such Bill, and on which
    they will require the parties severally promoting or
    opposing the same to enter appearances, and two
    clear days' notice at the least of such appointment
    shall be given by the Examiner in his Office.
70. In all cases of opposed Private Bills in which
    no parties shall have appeared on the Petitions
    against such Bills, or, having appeared, shall have
    withdrawn their opposition before the evidence of the
    promoters shall have been commenced, the Com-
    mittee on such Bills shall forthwith refer them back,
    with a statement of the facts, to the Committee of
    Selection, who shall deal with them as with unopposed
    Bills.
71. No Member locally or otherwise interested of
    a Committee on any unopposed Private Bill shall
    have a vote on any question that may arise, but every
    Member shall be entitled to attend and take part in
    the proceedings of the Committee.
72. Every Plan and Book of Reference thereto,
    which shall be produced in evidence before the Com-
    mittee upon any Private Bill (whether the same sha
    have been previously lodged in the Examiner's Office
    or not), shall be signed by the Chairman of such
    Committee with his name at length; and he shall
    also mark with the initials of his name every altera-
    tion of such Plan and Book of Reference which shall
    be agreed upon by the said Committee, and every
    such Plan and Book of Reference shall thereafter be
    deposited in the Examiner's Office.
73. The Chairman of the Committee shall sign with
    his name at length a printed copy of the Bill (to be
    called the Committee Bill), on which the amendments
    are to be fairly written, and also sign with the initials
    of his name the several clauses added in Committee.
74. The Chairman of the Committee shall report
    to the House whether or not the allegations of the
    Preamble of the Bill have been proved to the satis-
    faction of the Committee, or whether the parties have
    acquainted the Committee that it is not their inten-
    tion to proceed with the Bill; and when any altera-
    tion shall have been made in the Preamble of the Bill,
    or the clauses thereof, such alteration, together with
    the ground of making it, shall be specially stated in
    the Report.
75. The Minutes of the Committee on every
    Private Bill shall be brought up and laid on the Table
    of the House with the Report of the Bill.
76. Every Private Bill, as amended in Committee,
    shall be printed at the expense of the parties apply-
    ing for the same, and delivered to the Clerk for the
    use of the Members two clear days at least before the
    consideration of the Bill.
77. Any clause or amendment on the consider-
    ation of the Report of any Private Bill shall be
    referred to the Committee on the Bill; and no
    further proceedings shall be had until the Report of
    the said Committee shall have been brought up.
78. Every Private Bill, after it has been read a
    Third Time, shall be printed fair, at the expense of
    the party applying for the same.
79. No Private Bill shall pass through two stages
    on one and the same day, and there shall be at least
    two days' interval between the First and Second
    Reading.
80. Except in cases of urgent and pressing neces-
    sity, no Motion shall be made to dispense with any
    Sessional or Standing Order without due notice
    thereof.
81. Every Private Bill, after it has passed, shall be
    carried to the other House and treated as a Public
    Bill until after the First Reading thereof.