§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONIt was understood that the Prime Minister was to state to-day the amount of the Vote of Credit he would ask for on Monday. Would the Secretary of State for War kindly state at what period of the proceedings to-day the Prime Minister will give the House that information?
§ MR. CHILDERSThe Prime Minister is not here at this moment; but I am able to say that he will lay the Estimate upon the Table in the course of the day.
§ MR. W. H. SMITHI think it was distinctly understood that the Prime Minister would make the announcement to-day.
§ MR. CHILDERSIt is not my duty to do it.
§ MR. W. H. SMITHIt was distinctly understood that the Prime Minister, in his place here at 12 o'clock to-day, would make a statement as to the amount of the Vote of Credit, and it is for the convenience of the House that we should 1336 know it verbally in the House to-day. If it is simply laid upon the Table of the House, we should not get it until Monday.
§ MR. CHILDERSI am sorry that I did not say more in my answer just now, so as to make myself clearly understood. The Prime Minister will make his statement to-day—he will state how much the Vote of Credit will be; but it is not my duty to do so, and I shall not anticipate the statement of the right hon. Gentleman.
§ MR. J. LOWTHERIt would be for the convenience of the House to know at what period of the proceedings to-day the Prime Minister will make that important statement. I understand that the Government Business is likely to last for some considerable time; and therefore, if we have to wait until that is disposed of before the statement is made, we may be kept here all day.
§ MR. CHILDERSIt would be very difficult for me to make that statement in the absence of my right hon. Friend; but I will at once communicate with him, and state to him what has just passed in the House. There is not the smallest desire to conceal the amount.
§ SIR R. ASSHETON CROSSIt would be contrary to all practice that the statement should be made in the middle of Business. Perhaps the House will consent to wait for a quarter of an hour or so until the arrival of the Prime Minister.
§ MR. CHILDERSI will take care that the Paper on the subject is circulated. [Cries of "No!"] The statement of the Prime Minister will consist of one sentence and no more. In the case of the previous Vote of Credit, when the right hon. Gentleman (Sir R. Assheton Cross) was in Office, the Paper alone was circulated, and no statement was made.
§ SIR R. ASSHETON CROSSThat is so, no doubt; but I think that the right hon. Gentleman is very bold in saying that the statement of the Prime Minister will be confined to one sentence. I would really press upon the House that, for the convenience of Members who on a Saturday have come down for a special purpose, we should wait until the Prime Minister arrives before we go on with Business.
§ MR. C. S. PARKERPerhaps, Sir, I may be allowed to suggest that on the 1337 first Order of the Day there is a Motion against it of an obstructive character by the hon. Member for Cavan (Mr. Biggar), who is not in his place; but there is present another hon. Member who is to make a similar obstructive Motion with regard to it; and possibly, if the Order of the Day were read, there might be an opportunity for the Prime Minister to make his statement before the Order was disposed of.
DR. CAMERONI rise to Order. I beg to ask whether the hon. Member for Perth is in Order in intimating that a Resolution on the Paper is obstructive?
§ MR. ONSLOWasked whether it was competent for any hon. Member to impute Obstruction to any other hon. Member?
§ MR. SPEAKERThe House at this stage is engaged in—
§ MR. WARTONWhat? [Cries of "Order!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERThe House is engaged in Questions being put to Ministers, and answers are being given to these Questions. The House is aware that in putting Questions no debateable matter should be introduced into those Questions; and I am bound to say that the hon. Member for Perth (Mr. Parker) did introduce debateable matter into his Question.
§ MR. CHILDERSAfter the very strong request of hon. Members on both sides of the House, although it is not my proper duty to state to the House what the Prime Minister will state— which is only one sentence—I will take upon myself to do so in deference to the wish of the House. The sum that will be asked for on the Vote of Credit is £1,300,000, and I shall also ask myself for a Supplementary Vote for 10,000 men for the Army. Beyond that there is nothing to say, because explanations will be given by the Prime Minister on Monday.
§ SIR JOHN HAYDoes that Vote of Credit include the Navy?
§ MR. CHILDERSThe Vote will include £900,000 for the Army and £400,000 for the Navy.
§ MR. W. H. SMITHIt was also understood that the statement on Monday would be completed by some proposal as to the taxation. The Prime Minister said that after the Vote of Credit was agreed to on Monday the 1338 House would be asked to go into Committee of Ways and Means in order to add to the Money Bill the Ways and Means to make good the Vote of Credit. Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will also now state what those Ways and Means will be?
§ MR. CHILDERSNo, Sir; that would really be going beyond my duty; it is for the Prime Minister to make that statement. I stated the other two sums because, as the head of one of the spending Departments, the matter may fairly come within my duty to explain to the House; but I cannot go any further than I have done.
§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONIs it the intention of the Government to take the Vote of 10,000 men immediately after the Vote of Credit?
§ MR. CHILDERSI think so; but it would not be right that I should say so absolutely without consideration.
§ MR. BOURKEI wish to give Notice of a Question which I propose to ask on Monday, but have not yet had an opportunity of consulting my right hon. Friend (Sir Stafford Northcote) upon the subject, and possibly he may wish to change the Question. But, unless I am better advised, I shall ask the Question as I have framed it on Monday. With the permission of the House, I may explain that when the Vote of Credit of 1878 was asked for, the noble Lord the Secretary of State for India (the Marquess of Hartington) asked whether my right hon. Friend the then Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir Stafford Northcote) would, after making an important statement in Committee of Supply justifying the Vote of Credit, immediately move to report Progress, in order that the House might have some time to consider the effect of that statement and the proposals of the Government; because, he said, it would be impossible for the House to know the reasons why we were asked to vote that money, and to consider them in so short a time. I wish to know whether that course will be followed upon the present occasion? I shall ask whether that course will be adopted on the present occasion, and whether the Prime Minister will on Monday move to report Progress immediately after he has made his statement, which will, of course, be a very important one? I shall ask whether the present case is not much more in favour 1339 of following such a course than it was when the precedent was made, because we have only Papers on the policy of the Government down to the end of May. There are no Papers as to the Conference. There are no Papers as to the Joint Note to the Porte. There are no Papers as to the bombardment. There are no Papers with regard to the important declaration as to the Suez Canal; and, more than all, there are no Papers with regard to the report that Italy has been invited to join the other Powers in respect of the protection of the Suez Canal. In these circumstances I shall, unless I am otherwise advised between now and then, ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will report Progress directly after the important statement which the Chancellor of the Exchequer has promised to make?
§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELLMay I ask the Secretary of State for War what will be the course of Business on Monday? Will the Prime Minister make his statement on the Motion that Mr. Speaker leave the Chair, or will all the Motions on going into Committee of Supply come before the statement?
§ MR. CHILDERSMy impression is that the Prime Minister's statement will come first; but I am not prepared to give a definite answer.
§ Subsequently,
§ MR. CHILDERSsaid, Sir, with the indulgence of the House, I desire to correct the statement which I made at the commencement of the Sitting as to the amount of the Vote of Credit which will be asked for on Monday. I was unexpectedly asked the amount of the Vote of Credit. I had come down to the House to answer a Question of secondary importance, and I had no intimation that a Question respecting the Vote of Credit would be put to me. I stated quite accurately the amount of the Military Vote—namely, £900,000; but I gave the Naval Vote incorrectly. The amount of the Naval Vote will be £1,400,000, and the total charge will be £2,300,000. I feel assured that the House will excuse the error, kindly recognizing the fact that it was at the request of the House that I made the statement when I was unprepared to do so, and that, therefore, the blame for such a mistake will be less than it would be under other circumstances.