SUPPLY.

HC Deb 29 February 1856 vol 140 cc1670-2

House in Committee.

On the Motion that £7,000,000 be granted to Her Majesty to defray charges connected with the army,

MR. MILES

appealed to the Government not to go into such an important discussion at such a late hour of the night; the more especially as hon. Members had not had sufficient opportunity of examining the Estimates, which were presented this year in quite a novel form.

MR. BASS

wished the noble Lord to state whether he intended to proceed with the Police Bill on Monday evening.

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

hoped that the House would agree to this Vote, because it was necessary as the foundation of a Ways and Means Bill, which ought not to be further delayed. The sum asked for was only a portion of the pay of the men for the year (£10,950,358), and, if it were granted, there would still remain a large sum upon the Vote on which any discussion might be raised. He should propose that the Committee should agree to this Vote, then report progress, and sit again on Monday, and devote the whole of that evening to the consideration of the Estimates. This was an answer to the question which had been put to him by the hon. Member for Derby (Mr. Bass).

MR. W. WILLIAMS

protested against the Committee proceeding to vote so large a sum without having an opportunity of considering the details. He should take the sense of the Committee, and move that the Chairman do now report progress.

Mr. JOHN MACGREGOR

perfectly concurred with the hon. Gentleman the Member for Lambeth. He thought it would be decorous on the part of the noble Lord at the head of the Government to allow this Vote to be postponed. There had never been any division on any Vote relating to the war, and it was not his intention to oppose this Vote. But he thought that time should be given for its consideration.

MR. WILSON

said, that if this evening were allowed to pass without this Vote being agreed to, the Ways and Means Bill could not be passed before Easter, and the money would not be available for the payment of the army in due time. If the Vote were granted, there would be still a balance of £3,000,000 to be asked for, and upon that a discussion might take place.

MR. DISRAELI

bore testimony to the accuracy of the statements of the Secretary of the Treasury; and added, that if this Vote were not at once agreed to the public service might be seriously affected.

MR. W. WILLIAMS

did not wish to stop anything that might be necessary for carrying on the war, but there were many items in the Vote which had nothing to do with the war, and upon which he wished to take the sense of the Committee. He should persevere in pressing it to a division if he stood alone.

MR. DISRAELI

hoped that, after the statement of the Secretary of the Treasury, the suggestion of the noble Lord would be acquiesced in.

COLONEL DUNNE

asked whether, if the Vote were agreed to, hon. Members might afterwards discuss the items?

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

replied, that such discussion might take place when the Government asked for the balance of the Vote.

MR. STAFFORD

On Monday next?

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

No.

MR. STAFFORD

Then the discussion may be put off until any day.

MR. W. WILLIAMS

complained that the statement now made by the Secretary for the Treasury was inconsistent with that which he had made on a previous evening that the sums voted to make up the deficiency which had arisen would defray all expenses up to the 31st of March.

MR. WILSON

said, that his statements were perfectly consistent. It was true that the sums voted on the Supplemental Estimates would meet the expenditure to the end of the present financial year. If he did not carry the Ways and Means Bill before the Easter recess, he should be unable to proceed with it until the House met again, which would not be much before the 31st of March. Ten or twelve days would then elapse before the Bill could be passed, and during that time this money would not be available for the public service. The Government would take the Vote now for £6,500,000, and the £500,000 would be the first Vote on Monday night, when the whole Vote might be discussed.

MR. WILLIAMS

withdrew his Amendment.

The Vote for £6,500,000 agreed to; House resumed.