§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Mr. GEORGE RUSSELL, North Beds.)I do hope that hon. Members will allow the Report to be taken to-night. There will be opportunity for discussion later on.
§ MR. GOSCHEN (St. George's, Hanover Square)We shall object to it being taken, because it appears to us the objects ought to be explained before we have ah opportunity of discussion on the Second Reading. I trust that the Chancellor of the Exchequer will see to it that the Report is brought on at a time that will enable the Under Secretary to make his statement, and when it would be fairly possible for him to be followed in his general explanation, and after that I do not think it is the desire of anybody on this side of the House to debate the Report at any length. But we ought to have a full statement of why £10,000,000 are required for the Indian Government, and the House put in possession of the facts, so that we can debate the matter on the Second Reading. Any statement which would be made at the present hour would necessarily be brief, so that I trust the other business will be stopped on some other day at a reasonably early hour to enable the Under Secretary to make his statement upon the Report. We should not wish at this stage to have any long discussion, but we wish to have his statement fully before us, so as to be able to discuss the matter on the Second Reading. I think the Chancellor of the Exchequer will agree that this is a reasonable request. As I have said, we have no desire whatever at this stage to have a prolonged discussion, but the Report ought to be brought on at a time when a full statement may be put before the public of the objects of the Bill.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir W. HARCOURT, Derby)I may give the right hon. Gentleman the assurance that there shall be an adequate 208 opportunity for discussion, as far as it is important. This is not an unusual measure. The Indian Government has on several occasions asked for loans of this amount, and even greater. We have thought that it would be better to get over the preliminary stages connected with the Bill, and have the discussion on the Second Reading. I am told that the practice has recently been to take discussion not on the preliminary Motion and Report, but on the Second Reading. In 1885, when a similar Bill to this was introduced, the discussion was taken in that way. We will not, however, go on with the Report to-night, and I will take care before next week that some arrangement is made which shall be convenient for both sides of the House. We have no desire to avoid a Debate.
§ LORD G. HAMILTON (Middlesex, Ealing)I only intervene in this Debate because a great many years ago, when I was Under Secretary of State for India, we introduced one of these Loan Bills, and I can assure the Chancellor of the Exchequer that he has been misinformed. The invariable practice has been for the Secretary to the India Office to give reasons for introducing the Loan Bill, and the case of 1885 was the solitary exception. Then the Bill was not wanted to meet ordinary expenditure, but to promote railways, which were much wanted, and had been recommended by a Select Committee in a Report which was already before the House when the Bill was introduced. Not long ago the hon. Gentleman who represents the India Office in this House made the usual statement about Indian Finances, and the Finance Minister not long before that also made a statement about Indian Finance, but in neither statement was there any indication that this application for £10,000,000 would be made. It was therefore reasonable to ask that the House should be put in possession of the objects of this proposed loan, and of the reasons which justify it.
§ Report deferred till Monday next.