§ SIR F. DIXON-HARTLAND (Middlesex, Uxbridge)I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the great detriment to trade caused by the present glut of silver, which is so great that the Bank of England declines to receive it except at a charge of ¼ per cent.; whether the Mint is now issuing any silver except at the request of the Bank of England and other bankers, or whether they are still paying the dockyards or any other public establishments with silver from the Mint; and, if so, how much silver is thus put into circulation each week; and whether the £1,133,154 coined during the year ending the 31st of March, 1894, was put into circulation, or how much of it, and by what means?
§ SIR W. HARCOURTI have ascertained that, owing to the large amount of silver coin which is now being received, 1100 the Bank of England are, in accordance with their usual practice, making a charge of 5s. per £100 for large parcels. The answer to the second paragraph is "No." Silver coin is never issued by the Mint for the use of dockyards or other public establishments, except through the usual channels—namely, the Banks of England or Ireland, or the Scotch banks. The value of the silver coin issued by the Mint during the financial year 1893-94 was £1,008,361, of which £208,190 was supplied on the direct application of Colonial Governments, and the balance, £800,171, was supplied to the United Kingdom through the usual channels of distribution. Against this must be set worn silver withdrawn from circulation to the amount of £369,130.
§ SIR F. DIXON-HARTLANDAre the dockyards paid from the Bank or direct from Government Offices?
§ *SIR W. HARCOURTThe money is got in the ordinary way from the local banks.