§ MR. B. L. COHEN (Islington, E.)I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he can state in what manner it is proposed to leave in the hands of the Treasury Chest officers at the various stations abroad, the funds necessary as a working capital for effecting payments abroad for which the Treasury Chest is by Statute destined, if the funds of the Treasury Chest are temporarily appropriated to defray the cost of the expedition to Egypt, seeing that on 31st March 1895, the sum of £378,095 19s. 11d. was in the hands of Her Majesty's Paymaster General, and £210,063 1s. in the hands of the Treasury Chest officers at 15 Colonial stations, and that the total amount of the Treasury Chest fund is limited to £700,000
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir MICHAEL HICKS BEACH,) Bristol, W.I do not see any difficulty in this matter. The proposed advances from the Treasury Chest are for the extraordinary expenditure of the Indian garrison at Suakim. It appears from the return from which the hon. Member quotes, that the statutory maximum of £700,000 for the aggregate of cash balances had not been reached at the date given; but, even so, the amount standing to the credit of the Paymaster General was £378,000.