§ MR. O'REILLYasked the Secretary of State for War, What course he proposes to take with regard to the gentlemen now or lately in the War Office, who are stated by the Committee of this House on Public Accounts (Third Report, paragraph 15), to have been guilty of grave impropriety in appropriating to themselves, as Income Tax Commissioners, public money to which they had no claim?
§ MR. CARDWELLSir, the Accountant General and the Chief Clerk have tendered their resignations, and I have accepted them. I desire to add that while I cannot in any way extenuate the censure passed by the Committee, I am able, after careful inquiry, entirely to exonerate them from any charge of consciously and wilfully appropriating to themselves public money to which they were not entitled.