COMMITTEE. (Hansard, 25 June 1863)

§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER
rose to move the following Resolution:— That the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury be authorized to issue, out of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to an amount not exceeding £1,200,000, upon security of local rates, for facilitating the execution of public works in certain manufacturing districts. That Resolution was simply a formal supplement to the measure introduced by the President of the Poor Law Board for the purpose of making advances for the execution of public works in Lancashire. The provisions of the Bill had 1491 been severed, times discussed in the House, and he believed there was a general concurrence in the wisdom and policy of the proposals made by the Government on the subject. According to the best information which his right hon. Friend had been able to obtain, it was probable, that if the Lancashire distress should continue—if the number of unemployed operatives should remain as great as it then was, and the prospects of the coming winter should not he improved by a much larger accession to the supplies of cotton than there, was then reason to expect—the amount of public money likely to be required Within; the nest twelve months for useful works in Lancashire might rise as high as £2,000,000. But in a case pf that, kind it hardly ever happened that the full sum estimated to be spent within a certain time was actually spent within that time; and, moreover, long before the twelve months had elapsed. Parliament would be sitting, and the Government would be enabled to call its attention again to the matter. Therefore, without wishing unduly to stint the supply of money for the purpose, provided the security was good and the works were well considered, he did not think it desirable to ask the House at the present moment to vote a larger sum than was likely, as far as they could judge; to be required before Parliament should have an opportunity next Session of re-considering the question. Under the operation of Acts, in force, the Government had about £300,000 available for public works without any fresh legislation. With the addition of the £1,200,000, which they proposed to, vote, they would thus have the command of a million and a half, to be dispensed upon public works in the manufacturing districts. By the present Resolution, and his right hon. Friend's Bill, they did not propose to provide, any money, but only took authority to spend money supposed to be provided from other sources. The Exchequer balances on the last quarter-day Were, considerably beyond what was necessary for, the, ordinary public expenditure, and the, margin had been made use of in the present quarter for the discharge of a million of Exchequer bonds and something more than a million of Exchequer bills. They had obtained an Act during the present Session authorizing them to reissue, in case of need, that million of Exchequer bonds, while they had also statutory power to reissue within the 1492 financial year any Exchequer bills paid off within that year. Consequently, their power of replenishing the Consolidated Fund in case of need went beyond £2,000,000, and there would therefore be no difficulty in providing the £1,200,000 included in the Resolution which he now begged to move.

§ MR. HENNESSY
said, he was sure no one would object to the proposal of the Government, and certainly an Irish Member would be the last person to do so; but he wished to take that opportunity of thanking the right hon. Gentleman for what he had said the other night on the subject of public works in Ireland, and of expressing his satisfaction at the gratifying account just given of the state of the Exchequer balances. He also wished to direct the right hon. Gentleman's attention to a practical point connected with public works in Ireland. Mr. Bateman, an offices who had been employed by the Government had made a Report on the navigation of the Shannon. Certain works undertaken some years ago by the Government for improving the navigation of that river had, owing to the mistakes of the Government officers, interfered prejudicially with the navigation, and flooded the banks of the Shannon. Mr. Bateman calculated the loss thus inflicted on the owners of the adjacent property at £30,000 per annum, and suggested that the Government should take the matter up, and either complete these works or have them removed. He hoped the Government would give them an assurance that they would take action on Mr. Bateman's Report, and carry out the Chancellor of the Exchequer's remarks the other night—the only remarks made on the Treasury Bench for a long time which had gives satisfaction in Ireland.

§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER
said, he, was glad if anything said by himself had given satisfaction in Ireland or elsewhere, because it was the lots of persons who held the office which he then had the honour to fill generally to give rise to dissatisfaction. The hon. Gentleman, however, would do him the justice to observe that what he said the other night had reference to a particular class of works. The navigation of the Shannon was not the subject before them; and if the. Government proceeded in that matter at all, it must be with relation rather to what had been done already than to any abstract principle. The history given by the hon. Gentleman himself of these works showed the necessity for great care and caution in such matters.