§ COLONEL TOMLINEasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether he will cause to be prepared and laid upon the Table a Return or Returns showing the amount of gold coins cut by the Bank of England during the three years ending on the 1st day of March 1872, the names of the owners of such cut coins, and the loss each such owner sustained thereby; the amount of money paid since the 26th day of December 1871 to the officers of the Royal Mint for extra services, and the nature of such services; the amount of silver coined at Birmingham during the six months ending the 1st day of March 1872; and, whether he will lay upon the Table a Copy of the Contract under which such silver was coined?
MR. GLADSTONESir, as the Question has been addressed to me I cannot remain silent; but it is within the department of the Master of the Mint, who is also the Chancellor of the Exchequer, already favourably known to my hon. and gallant Friend, and I therefore refer him to my right hon. Friend for an answer.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERI hope, Sir, in consideration of what he must admit to be the very respectable introduction I have received, the hon. and gallant Gentleman will permit me to answer the Question. I have no power to compel any Return from the Bank of England such as the hon. and gallant Gentleman asks for, but I will endeavour to obtain a Return with as much of the information he desires as I can. I believe that the amount of gold coins cut by the Bank of England during the three years can be given; not so, however, the names of the owners. Probably the hon. and gallant Gentleman will, upon reflection, be of opinion that he can hardly ask the Bank to give up the names of their customers under such delicate circumstances. Then, as to the amount of money paid since the 26th December, 1871, to the officers of the Royal Mint, the services performed by these officers consists in working many hours after their usual time, for the purpose of getting through an immense glut of business at the Mint. For that, the payment to them has been been an additional month's pay—£431 15s. The Government has had no silver coined at Birmingham at all, but I am informed that Canada has entered into a contract with a Birmingham firm for a certain amount of coinage. The Government, however, have nothing to do with it.