MILITARY WORKS BILL. (Hansard, 31 July 1899)

§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. WYNDHAM,) Dover
I beg leave to move an Amendment restricting the item in the Schedule of "ranges, including accommodation for manœuvring and mobilisation," to the sums provided under the Military Works Act of 1897. My object in moving this Amendment is to carry out a pledge which I gave to the hon. Member for East Aberdeenshire.

§ MR. BUCHANAN (Aberdeenshire, E.)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his courtesy in accepting this Amendment, and so obviating a repetition of what happened under the Act of last year, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer allowed the Government, under the ambiguous phrase in question, to purchase land at Salisbury Plain, including the right hon. Gentleman's own property. The record of that transaction never came before the Public Accounts Committee, but was hidden away among the items in the Military Works Bill of that year.

§ * THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir M. HICKS-BEACH)
The hon. Member has made a personal charge against me, on which I must say a word. He has said that by a phrase or expression hidden away in the Military Works Act, 1897, the Government were enabled to purchase a large area at Salisbury Plain, including my property, for the purposes of manœuvres, without the knowledge of Parliament,

§ MR. BUCHANAN
I did not say that.

§ * SIR M. HICKS-BEACH
I am not inclined to rest under what is obviously intended as a personal reflection, and I should just like to state in a very few sentences my connection with the matter. Some three years ago, very soon after the Government was formed, my noble friend the Secretary for War informed me that, in the opinion of himself and his advisers, it was necessary that the Government should obtain possession of a large area of land for the purpose of exercising troops. I suggested to him that, in my opinion, the most convenient place would be adjoining Aldershot, where, of course, the Government already possess a considerable area of land. He proved to me that land near Aldershot could only be purchased at about £100 an acre, and that it would be impossible, under the circumstances, to purchase there the large area of land that he required. I then suggested that an area should be purchased somewhere in the midland counties, and I think I indicated Cannock Chase. For reasons which appeared sufficient to my noble friend and the War Office, that area could not be chosen, on account of the nature of the ground, or something of that kind. He then said they had made up their minds, and they desired to purchase a large area at Salisbury Plain. I said that was not a matter on which I could say Aye or No, as the scheme must necessarily include property belonging to myself, and that if the Government decided on such a policy, I could not deal with it as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and that the Cabinet must deal with it without my advice. The Cabinet having adopted the policy, I requested my right hon. friend the First Lord of the Treasury and my right hon. friend the First Lord of the Admiralty, who had previously held the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer, to do what was properly my duty in the matter—namely, to check the financial aspect of the question. The whole transaction was carried out by them, acting with Lord Lansdowne, as Secretary 881 of State for War, and Parliament was completely informed of the intention of the Government to purchase this area by the present Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs when he brought in the Military Works Act of 1897. Subsequently, when it came to a question as to whether my property should be purchased and the price to be given for it, I took no part whatever in the decision; the whole matter was carried through by arbitration. Neither in the decision to take land on Salisbury Plain, nor in the purchase of my property, did I take any part. I think the hon. Member owes me some apology for his offensive and unfounded imputation.

§ MR. BUCHANAN
I must say I had no intention of making any imputation upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and if my words were susceptible of such an interpretation, I beg in the most unqualified way to withdraw them What I did say was, that of the purchase of the property on Salisbury Plain, including that of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, there was no record in the public accounts, and it was paid for out of this item of "ranges, including accommodation for manœuvring and mobilisation. "There is an ambiguity in the public accounts which I should think the Chancellor of the Exchequer would be himself anxious to remove, and I am glad that it will be removed by the Amendment. I desire once more in the most unqualified way to apologise to the Chancellor of the Exchequer if I have injured his feelings in any way—which was far from my intention—for, of course, we all know that the right hon. Gentleman is the very soul of honour.