§ SIR ARTHUR HAYTERsaid, that, in the absence of the noble Marquess the Member for North-East Lancashire (the Marquess of Hartington), who would be in his place at the beginning of next week, he wished to ask the Secretary of State for War three Questions in connection with the Army Estimates, which were, he saw by the Notices, fixed for Monday next. At the present time, the first six Votes, being up to and inclusive of the Yeomanry Vote, had been already taken. He wished to know whether the right hon. Gentleman proposed to begin with Vote 7, being the Vote for Volunteer Corps, on Monday, then going on in succession with Vote 8, for Army Reserve, and taking afterwards the large Votes connected with the Department of the Surveyor General of the Ordnance? If the right hon. Gentleman proposed to follow the order of the Votes, he wished to ask, secondly, whether Vote 8, for Army Reserve, was to be regarded as the legitimate opportunity of a discussion upon Army questions in general, as had been the practice lately, when the late Government were in Office, or whether it would be confined to the subject-matter of the Vote itself? He asked this not from any personal desire to raise a general discussion, but because the practice alluded to had been permitted in Committee of Supply during the term of Office of the late Government, and might now therefore, he presumed, be regarded as legitimate; thirdly, he wished to ask, whether, in the view of the right hon. Gentleman, the discussion on the Contagious Diseases Acts, if any, had not better be taken on Vote 15, which contained the larger provision for the general expenses arising out of the Contagious Diseases Acts, than on Vote 9, which contained only a small provision for the police employed under the Act? That was the course which he thought he might safely 288 say the late Government would have preferred.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. W. H. SMITH),in reply, said, with the consent of the House he would propose on Monday to go on with the Supplementary Estimates for Men which had been omitted by the late Government, and of which Notice had been given, and then proceed with the other Votes. He would propose to proceed with the Votes in order. Probably, on the Supplementary Estimates for Men, an opportunity would be given to hon. Members of making any observations they might think necessary. On Vote 8 there would be the opportunity which the hon. Baronet (Sir Arthur Hayter) suggested. He should not wish to say within what limits the discussion should be confined. It would be for the Chairman of Committees to deal with that; but the Government had no wish to put an undue limit on the discussion, and would leave it to the House to say how far it should go. He had hoped that, after the conversation which took place in that House on the Motion for time, there would be no discussion with reference to the Contagious Diseases Acts, seeing that this year no change could be made in the arrangement for carrying out those Acts. If, however, there was to be any discussion it would be more convenient to take it on Vote 15 than on Vote 9.