§ MR. AUBERON HERBERTasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If any Order has been issued by the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police which in any way restrains members of the Metropolitan Police Force from making any payment to H. Goodchild in respect of certain expenses incurred by him when acting as secretary to the delegates of the Metropolitan Police Force?
§ MR. WINTERBOTHAM,in reply, said, that no order had been issued by the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to restrain the members of the force from subscribing towards the expenses of the ex-officer Henry Goodchild, but there was a general order against police subscriptions. Application was made to the Chief Commissioner to allow the police to subscribe towards expenses of Goodchild, not as secretary to the delegates, but incurred by him subsequently to his dismissal; and it need not be pointed out what those expenses were, seeing that they were connected with the getting up of a meeting in Hyde Park. As these proceedings were not sanctioned and were improper, no official sanction could be given to the collection of subscriptions in respect of them. At the same time, the Chief Commissioner stated that if he were furnished with a correct statement of the expenses incurred previous to the dismissal of Goodchild, and of the moneys which had been subscribed and received by him for defraying those expenses, he would be happy to take the matter into consideration. No account had been furnished to the Commissioner. He might save the hon. Member the trouble of asking a second Question which stood on the Paper in his name—in reference to the chief constable of the Nottinghamshire constabulary destroying a poster which convened a meeting of Republicans—by saying that—
§ MR. AUBERON HERBERTrose to Order.
§ MR. SPEAKERI understand the hon. Member to be answering a Question which is not yet put.