§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. HENRY H. FOWLER) (Wolverhampton, E.)said, he wished to explain what the Government intended to do in Committee of Supply that night, as the House was anxious at the close of the Sitting to adjourn for the holidays. In Committee of Supply last night a considerable sum was voted for the Navy, and quite sufficient to carry them over for all purposes to the 31st of October; but there were several Votes for the Navy on account of which no sum had been voted already, and unless some money was voted for those Services, and the items appeared in the Appropriation Act, it would not be in their power technically to transfer money that had been voted under one head to another in the course of the financial year. Therefore, they wanted a nominal vote of £1,000 on each of those Navy Votes in order to comply with the technical requirements of the Appropriation Act. The Secretary of State for War would follow the same course in regard to the Army Estimates.
§ MR. W. H. SMITH (Strand, Westminster)said, he assented to the course just indicated by the Secretary to the Treasury, by which he observed that no hon. Member would be precluded from hereafter raising any question of principle when the substantive Votes came to be taken in the new Parliament.