§ MR. W. JOHNSTON (Belfast, S.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to an affidavit of Mr. Edmund Cogswell, accountant, of London, which states that it appears by the Votes of the House of Assembly of Bahama Islands, that on 22nd April, 1892, a Member or the said House of Assembly, named Alfred E. Moseley, moved a Resolution suspending for that Sitting the 11th Rule of the House, which prescribes the forms in the case of all Money Grants, in order to take the Second and Third Readings of a Money Grant to Sir A. Shea, Governor of the Colony; whether he is aware that, notwithstanding the distinct terms of this Rule, largo sums of money were granted, the said Rule having been suspended for the purpose, to Sir A. Shea in 1891 and again in 1892, ostensibly for Sir A. Shea's expenses in coming to London in 1890 and 1891, whereas Sir A. Shea did not come to England at all in 1890, and only for a short period in 1891; whether he is also aware that under the said Votes sums amounting in the two years to £1,000 or thereabouts have been by the warrant of Sir A. Shea charged to the Public Treasury of the Colony and paid to him, and whether any details of such sums, or as to how they are made up, can be gathered from the said Votes; whether it has been brought to his notice that it is stated in the affidavit, and appears from the Votes, that the grants to Sir A. Shea for repairs to Government House, and for miscellaneous unforeseen and contingent services, have been largely in excess of grants to previous Governors; and whether the Government is prepared to lay upon the Table of the House the correspondence between Sir A. Shea and the Colonial Office on the subject of the cable, and to state the details of the items of which the sum of £32,000, stated to have been expended for the cable, and borrowed on the credit of the Colony, is made up?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. S. BUXTON,) Tower Hamlets, Poplar(1) A copy of the affidavit referred to has been communicated to the Secretary of State. (2) In 1891 and 1892 the House of Assembly of the Bahamas unani- 1700 mously passed Resolutions, which were concurred in by the Legislative Council, for the payment to the Governor, Sir Ambrose Shea, of the expenses incurred by him during his absence from the Colony in 1890 and 1891 in his efforts to further the interests of the Colony in connection with the establishment of telegraphic communication. On each of these occasions the 11th Rule of the House of Assembly, which requires such Resolutions to be thrice read and agreed to at three separate Sittings, notice of the Second and Third Readings being given one day previous, was suspended by the unanimous vote of the House, and the Resolutions were read a second and third time at the same Sitting. There was no mention of London in the Resolutions. Sir A. Shea went to Canada in 1890 and to London in 1891. (3) The Resolutions did not specify the amount to be paid. Under the first of them £297 15s., and under the second £452 10s., were paid to the Governor. The Secretary of State has no information as to the details of these amounts. (4) The Votes in the Annual Estimates for the repairs and furniture of Government House have been, on an average, higher during the tenure of office of the present Governor than in the time of his immediate predecessor. The Vote for miscellaneous unforeseen and contingent services referred to in the question does not relate especially to the Government House, but to the whole of the works under the charge of the Board of Public Works. (5) £30,000 was raised by loan and paid under contract for the construction and laying of the telegraph cable from Nassau to Florida. Further sums, amounting to £2,818, were expended from the Colonial Revenue in connection with the cable, the details of which can be shown to the hon. Member at the Colonial Office.
§ MR. W. JOHNSTONCan the right hon. Gentleman say if the meeting of the Bahamas Assembly was not an irregular one?
§ MR. S. BUXTONI believe it was perfectly regular, but if the question is repeated I will inquire further.