§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETT (Sheffield, Ecclesall)I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present value of the Suez Canal shares 482 purchased for the country by Lord Beaconsfield for £4,000,000 in 1876; what portion of the £4,000,000 has been paid off by the Sinking Fund; when the shares belonging to Great Britain will share in the general dividend; and what the dividend on the ordinary shares has been for each of the last three years?
§ SIR W. HARCOURTI answered the question in its precise terms on the 19th of June, and I may refer the hon. Member to my answer. There is no alteration since that date.
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD - BARTLETTThe Chancellor of the Exchequer is mistaken, Sir. He may have answered two portions of the question; but he did not answer the second clause or the fourth clause; and I shall be obliged to him if he will answer them now.
§ SIR W. HARCOURTI will read the question put to me on the 19th of June:—
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total present estimated value of the Suez Canal shares purchased by Lord Beacons-field in 1875 for £4,000,000.
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI rise to Order. That is not the question I have asked him. I have not asked the right hon. Gentleman to read the former question.
§ MR. SPEAKERThe right hon. Gentleman is, I understand, showing that the question previously asked was in identical terms with this question.
§ SIR W. HARCOURTThe second question on the same day was—
What amount of the £4,000,000 has been paid off by the Sinking Fund?The third was—When the shares thus purchased will be entitled to share the annual dividend .'and the fourth was—What the amount of the dividends paid by the Suez Canal Company has been for the past three years?
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTWhen the right hon. Gentleman stated just now—[Cries of "Order!"]—I am. speaking to Order — that this question had been asked before, I asked him if he would be so good as to answer Clauses 2 and 4 of this question.
§ SIR W. HARCOURTThey are identical.
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTThey may be identical, but my assertion is that they were not answered on the 483 former occasion. I ask him now if he will be so good as to answer Clauses 2 and 4.
§ SIR W. HARCOURTI may read the answer I gave.
The answer to the first question is £17,750,000; to the second question, £3,805,000; to the third question, the 1st of July, 1894; to the fourth question, for 1890, 17 per cent.; 1891, 21 per cent.; 1892, 18 per cent.
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI must remind the right hon. Gentleman that he has not yet answered Clauses 2 and 4 of the present question. With regard to Clause 2, six months have elapsed since he gave his previous answer; and these things are not permanently the same.
§ MR. SPEAKERWill the hon. Gentleman be good enough to formulate some other question?
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI wish to ask you, on the point of Order, whether you will be so good as to look at Clause 4?
§ MR. SPEAKERI must decline to do it now.