§ Order for Second Reading road.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."
§ MR. CONYBEARE (Cornwall, Camborne)said, before the Bill was read a second time he should like to know something about it. The Consolidated Fund appeared to be a mysterious entity, which had always perplexed the minds of Members. Whenever they asked to have some control over Bills in relation to it, they were told they were unable by Rule to have such control. The present Bill proposed that the sum of £5,500,000 or more should be issued out of the Consolidated Fund to meet the expenses of the Services for the year ending March 31, 1889, and it also gave borrowing powers to the Commissioners in relation to the said sum. It was important that the House, in view of the growing practice of the Government to take upon themselves to closure discussions on the Votes in Committee, when a Bill of that kind was brought forward, should exercise the right of requiring some explanation, and, if need be, of criticism.
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. JACKSON) (Leeds, N)said, a few words should satisfy the hon. Member. The Bill merely gave effect to the Resolutions already passed, and enabled the money already voted by the House for the service of the year to issue from the Consolidated Fund. It was one of the necessary stages of these financial transactions on purely formal matter; but he would be doing an injustice to the hon. Member if he were to assume that the hon. Member was not perfectly well acquainted with that.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
937§ Bill read a second time, and committed for To-morrow.