MR. GIBSON BOWLESI beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer can he explain why the Treasury, under the exercise of its statutory powers, has required the accounts of the Uganda Railway expenditure to be rendered in a form which aggregates the expenditure in large amounts under nine general heads without details; whether the head of administration, total to 31st March, 1899, £163,448, embraces any item for commission paid to Crown Agents for the Colonies on stores ordered by them; and if so, what is the amount of that item; will he explain what is meant by the head of "Unallocated Expenditure, total to 31st March, 1899, £290,708," and in what sense is it unallocated; and can he give a general notion of how this unallocated expenditure is composed; and will he take steps to secure that in future the Treasury will require the accounts to be rendered in a form which will afford more complete information to this House.
§ * THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir M. HICKS BEACH,) Bristol, W.I think that the form of account is in conformity with the requirements of the Act, and gives the necessary information to Parliament. It must be remembered that the Comptroller and Auditor General has before him detailed items and vouchers for every penny of expenditure under the several heads— and also that the annual account has been supplemented by further information to Parliament, notably in Sir Guilford Moles-worth's Report, and in the Paper C. 9333 35 of 1899. I see no reason for altering the form. I am not responsible for the figures which are given in the account; but, to save trouble, I may say, with regard to the second and third paragraphs of the hon. Member's question, that I am informed that out of the total of £163,000 under the head of "Administration," £5 7s. 4d. represents commission here, and that "Unallocated Expenditure" is practically a sub-head for stores purchased pending their being charged to the appropriate heads.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESIn the last line of my question I refer to the information given in the Votes, which is restricted to nine heads.
§ * SIR M. HICKS BEACHIf the hon. Member will take the trouble to refer to the Report I have quoted he will, I think, obtain all the information he desires.