§ 4. £1,000, Supplementary, Colonial Office.—Agreed to.
§ 5. £40, Supplementary, the Mint, including Coinage.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESsuggested that some alteration should be made in the sizes of the half-sovereign and the farthing, to prevent the laitter from being passed for the former; and also that every coin should bear its denomination on its face.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir MICHAEL HICKS BEACH,) Bristol, W.said the Mint proposed to try whether it was not possible to secure that the colour of the farthing should be in the first place entirely different from the colour of the half-sovereign. ["Hear, hear!"]
Vote agreed to.
§ 6. £25,000, Supplementary, Stationery and Printing.
§ MR. KNOXasked whether anything had been done with regard to the Fair Wages Committee, presided over by the hon. Member for East Donegal, and also whether the complaints of the printing operatives of Ireland in regard to the Queen's printers, Dublin, had been attended to.
§ *THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (MR. R. W. HANBURY,) Prestonsaid the Committee presided over by the hon. Member for East Donegal only dealt with the wages paid in the stationery department. The new Committee that was now sitting would deal with all the Government departments. Whenever any tenders were now invited for Government contracts the Fair Wages Resolution of the House was brought more prominently under the eves of those who tendered 1275 than hitherto, and the Treasury took care that the Resolution was strictly carried out by all contractors. That applied to Ireland as well as to England. Questions were raised before the former Committee as to the printing in Ireland connected with boards of guardians, in which it appeared the Resolution was not carried out; but, of course, these were not Government contracts. Vote agreed to.
7. £80, Supplementary, Lunacy Commission, Scotland.—Agreed to.