Mr. Rosebegged leave to renew the observation which he had made on Friday last, relative, to the unprecedented case of bringing forward the Ways and Means of the year, before the particulars of the army expenditure had been submitted to parliament, or consequently the whole of the supply for the year voted. He had since looked into precedents, and was most strongly confirmed in what he had on that day urged as the opinion that struck him at the moment. There was not an instance, since the Revolution, of the ways and means of the year having been brought forward before the Army Estimates were voted. When he had stated his opinion on former night, he admitted that a supply to a certain extent had been voted. He was not then aware that the motion which stood for this day would have been put off. But really he felt constitutional objections the developement of the ways and means till the whole of the military expenditure should be voted. The supply already voted was 24,460,000l. Of the ways and means, only the land and malt had been granted. The noble lord might also consider the war taxes as a part of the ways and means, which, with the land and and malt,would amount to 16,000,000l. If to this were added the amount of the amount of the loan to be made and provided for in general statement of the Ways and Means of the year on Friday, the Ways and Means would greatly exceed the supply, and against this excess there was nothing to be set but conjectural military estimates. It had been said, that the whole of the last year's military establishment had been voted in February. 526 He admitted that to be the cases but a temporary vote would not justify permanent Ways and Means calculated on an indefinite augmentation of that establishment. For these reasons, he thought the subject worthy the consideration of the house. He did not urge the matter with any view to throw an impediment in the way of the measures of government; on the contrary, he should be happy to assist the noble lord to the utmost of his ability.
§ Mr. Lord Henry Pettysaid, it was his only wish to put the house fully in possession of the objects of public expense, and the Ways and Means by which he proposed to meet them; and to give the house an opportunity of fully considering them before he should call for their final decision, that he should propose only a part of the Ways and Means in the first instance.
§ Mr. Huskissonbegged leave to remark an inconvenience that would arise from not bringing forward the whole of the Ways and Means of the year at once. According to the late practice, the contractors for a loan were given to understand, that the loan contracted for, was all that would be wanted for the year. That could not be the case, if a;part of the Ways and Means were to be subsequently provided.
§ Lord Henry Pettyobserved that this objection would not apply, if the contractors themselves should think it proper to form their engagements on the communications made to them by his majesty's ministers.