§ MR. GOSCHENasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether he intends to lay Papers upon the Table of the House relating to the loss of Her Majesty's Ship "Vanguard" and the proceedings taken subsequent thereto; and, whether he intends to take that, or, if not, what other opportunity of making a Statement to the House on the subject?
§ MR. HUNTSir, when the right hon. Gentleman gave Notice of this Question, Papers on the subject had already been laid on the Table of the House. I gave instructions that they should be ready for delivery to hon. Members at the opening of the Session, and I understand that to-morrow morn- 133 ing they will be in their hands. "With regard to the second part of the right hon. Gentleman's Question, I do not know of any appropriate occasion for making a statement on the subject, so far as the initiative is concerned, except when it will be my duty to lay the Navy Estimates before the House. If, however, the right hon. Gentleman wishes to invite the opinion of the House on the subject, I shall be very glad for him to do so, and I will endeavour so to arrange with my right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Treasury, so that he shall have every facility afforded to him for the purpose.
§ MR. GOSCHENsaid, that in consequence of the Answer of the right hon. Gentleman, and in the belief—which he thought was shared in by the right hon. Gentleman himself—that the subject of the loss of the Vanguard could not be discussed with advantage on the Navy Estimates, he (Mr. Goschen) would give Notice that he should take an early opportunity, after the Papers had been laid on the Table of the House, of calling the attention of Parliament to the question. Deprecating, as he did, any attack upon the right hon. Gentleman, he should have preferred that he had volunteered a statement.