§ MR. WILSON PATTENsaid, that during the last Session of Parliament a Commission, consisting of three barristers, was appointed to inquire into the existence of corrupt practices in the borough of Kingston-upon-Hull. During the recess the Commission had presented their Report, upon an examination of which he found that the enormous number of 2,000 pages was devoted to the investigation alone; that the weight of the Report, as furnished to the Houses of Parliament, was 11 tons 6 cwt.; that 82,000 questions had been put to the different witnesses; and that the cost of printing this one Report for the two Houses of Parliament alone was 1,750l. It appeared that the examination of witnesses occupied fifty-seven days, and that there were besides a great number of days occupied in compiling the Report from the evidence. Under these circumstances, he wished to ask his hon. Friend the Under Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any questions had been put to the Commissioners as to the circumstances which in their opinion rendered it necessary to put the country to this enormous expense?
§ MR. J. WILSONsaid, that he believed hon. Gentleman's question would have been properly put to him, because the investigation of the accounts in connexion with these matters was devolved upon the Treasury by Act of Parliament. He could assure the House that every care had been taken to investigate the case thoroughly, and that every power committed to the Treasury had been employed 359 to mark their disapprobation of the excessive expenditure which had taken place. The Act of Parliament devolved upon the Treasury the duty of fixing the remuneration to be given to the Commissioners for the performance of their duties; and this, in accordance with the rule which had been followed in previous cases, had been fixed at five guineas a day during the time the Commissioners were employed in the discharge of the duties entrusted to them. Besides this, a sum of 50l. had in other cases been given to the Commissioners for the preparation of the Report. It was, however, entirely optional with the Treasury to allow this sum; and, thinking that the amount which the public had to pay was already excessive, they had refused to allow the 50l. to each Commissioner for the preparation of the Report. He should, however, mention that the Report was signed by only two out of the three Commissioners, and that these two exercised all their influence in endeavouring to bring the inquiry to an early conclusion. They were, however, frustrated in this attempt by the opposition of the other Commissioner, whose resignation, he believed, was caused by the determination on the part of the two gentlemen who signed the Report not to proceed further with the inquiry than they deemed necessary.
MR. HUMEsaid, that he had been requested by certain parties, who thought that the third Commissioner was the only person who had done his duty, to move for, the Report which he had drawn up. He wished, therefore, to ask the hon. Under Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government had any intention of producing this second Report, which he understood would occupy an additional folio volume.
MR. FITZROYsaid, that the Report of one Commissioner could not be presented to the House as the Report of the Commission appointed to inquire into the existence of corrupt practices at Kingston-upon-Hull, there being already before the House a Report signed by two Commissioners out of the three. The Report signed by the other, in his individual capacity, could not be laid upon the table.