§ (11.) £6,404, to complete the sum for Temporary Commissions.
§ MR. WOODALL (Hanley)said, he might be permitted to say, in reference to the work of one of the Commissions, the expenses of which was included in this Vote, the Royal Commission on the condition of the blind, the deaf, and others, that they had collected an enormous amount of valuable information—they had been at work now for a considerable time; and that Members of the Commission were exerting themselves to the full to bring their work to a conclusion as speedily as possible, their noble Chairman, Lord Egerton of Tatton, exercising considerable pressure upon his Colleagues towards that end. He (Mr. Woodall) had himself been engaged upon the Commission for a considerable part of the day, and some of his Colleagues had been devoting themselves 431 steadily to the work from day to day. Expressing his own opinion, he was bound to say there was some danger of valuable work being made less serviceable by the Treasury exercising pressure in order to close the work of the Commission during the present year. He frankly and candidly said he did not think the work could be completed within the current year without endangering the completeness of the task they had set themselves to accomplish.
§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL (Kirkcaldy, &c.)said, as this was the first non-Scotch Vote the Committee were entering upon, it might not be out of place to ask a question in reference to the Scotch Vote which had been omitted—that for Crofter Emigration. What course was proposed to be taken? Emigration was, he understood, still going on at considerable expense.
§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELLsaid, he must take some other opportunity of asking the question.
§ Vote agreed to.
§ (12.) £3,311, to complete the sum for Miscellaneous Expenses.
§ (13.) £7,000, for the Melbourne Exhibition.
§ (14.) £1,823, for Repayments to the Civil Contingencies Fund.
§ (15.) £33,230, for Repayments to the Local Loans Funds.