COLONEL STANLEYasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, If he can inform the House of the probable cost of the recent Naval and Military operations in Egypt; and, whether it will be necessary to submit Supplementary Estimates for Army and Navy Services during the current financial year?
THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHE-OUER (Mr. GLADSTONE)I will answer the first and second parts of the right hon. and gallant Gentleman's Question before coming to the figures. There is no doubt that it will be necessary to ask the House for Votes on Account of the Army and Navy; but whether, and how far, they will be Supplementary Estimates, or whether they will be in the shape of a further Vote of Credit, is a question which for the present we shall reserve. The figures are simply these. The House will remember that the original Estimates were—For the War Office, £900,000; and for the Admiralty, £1,400,000; making a total of £2,300,000. The Supplementary Estimate up to the 1st of October—the epoch at which the War charge, properly so-called, accrued to the Exchequer of this country, apart from the question 225 of contribution from Egypt—will be £750,000 for the War Office, and £310,000 for the Admiralty, making together £1,060,000. Putting together these two sums, already authorized and estimated to be required down to the 1st of October the total charge borne, and to be borne, by the British Exchequer, is £3,360,000. Then there is the Indian Contingent, which was originally estimated in India at £1,880,000. The expenses of that Contingent have been very considerably less—namely, £1,140,000. But I ought to state that the original Estimate included a sum of which we are not precisely informed, but it would not be very large—not more than a fraction of the whole—for the difference in the ordinary pay of the men sent from India. The actual charge borne out of the Indian Revenues in the first instance is £1,140,000, making a total charge for the operations of the war, including the transport of the men, of £4,500,000. I have only two other points to mention. One is that the extra charge from the 1st of October is one which we have reason to expect will be borne entirely, or almost so, by the Egyptian Revenues. It will not be a large charge for the current financial year. It may have to be voted by this House in the first instance; but, if so, when the Vote is asked for, a full statement will be made as to the arrangements for repayment. The other point is, that I have spoken of these payments without any reference to the final repartition of the charge between England and India, which is a matter that is under the consideration of the Government; and, when they have had the proper communication, they will make known their views and their proposals to the House.
§ Subsequently,
§ MR. ONSLOWasked whether the statement which the right hon. Gentleman had made included the ordinary pay of the troops only, or the extra pay and allowances also? He also wished to ask the noble Marquess the Secretary of State for India whether, as four months had passed since the subject first came before the House, he could not, before the end of the Session, present a statement to the House of the whole details connected with that transaction? He asked the noble Marquess whether he 226 could give Papers as to the first communications between the Home Government and India on the subject?
MR. GLADSTONEThat part of the Question which belongs to the province of my noble Friend I must leave to him. With respect to the sum which I mentioned in answer to the right hon. and gallant Gentleman, the hon. Member asked me whether it includes the ordinary pay only, or likewise the extra pay and allowances? The ordinary pay, I thought I stated before, is not included either in the case of India or this country. All that is included and has been sent to us at the Treasury are the special allowances in connection with the war, and the whole extra charge connected with, the war.