§ 3. "That a Supplementary sum, not exceeding £2,000, be granted to His Majesty, to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1901, for expenditure in respect of Diplomatic and Consular Buildings."
§ 4."That a Supplementary sum, not exceeding £7,000, be granted to His 1222 Majesty, to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1901, for the Expenses of the Post Office, and Post Office Telegraph Buildings in Great Britain, including Furniture, Fuel, and Sundry Miscellaneous services."
§ Third Resolution:—
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House doth agree with the Committee in the said Resolution."
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMONDsaid he hoped the right hon. Gentleman would give some details of the Vote.
§ THE FIRST COMMISSIONER OF WORKS (Mr. AKERS DOUGLAS,St. Augustine's) Kent,said that the Supplementary Estimates were partly occasioned by changes in Embassies abroad. Further, at Lisbon the sanitary arrangements, which were entirely wrong, had to be set right.
§ MR. FLAVINasked why a house which was suitable for the previous occupant was not suitable for his successor.
§ MR. AKERS DOUGLASsaid that he thought that a house that had been occupied for five or six years by an Ambassador and his family required a certain amount of painting and alteration when it was vacated.
§ Fourth Resolution:—
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House doth agree with the Committee in the said Resolution."
§ MR. FLAVINsaid that in connection with the Vote they had pressed the right hon. Gentleman very strongly to give some information as to the contracts. In July, 1900, Her Majesty's Government entered into a contract for the supply of fuel for a period of six months, and in some cases for fifteen months, when fuel was at its highest price. If the right hon. Gentleman was catering for his own household he would not enter into such a contract at that time. They had failed to obtain the name of the mine owner who supplied the fuel, and also as to whether the lowest tender was accepted. They had also asked, in Committee, for information as to household articles referred to in the Vote, and as to whether they were manufactured in England or Ireland. The right hon. Gentleman and his officials were directly responsible for having entered into a contract for fuel when coal was at its highest price. Anyone who knew the conditions of the coal market knew very well that the price could not have gone higher, and he could not see any justification or excuse for such a transaction.
§ MR. AKERS DOUGLASsaid that in regard to the coal contract tenders were asked from all the firms in South Wales who supplied the kind of coal they re- 1224 quired. They accepted the two lowes tenders which were made. As to the length of the contracts, in the first instance the contract was for six months and in the other instance for three months.
§ MR. FLYNNsaid they all acknow ledged the conciliatory tone of the right hon. Gentleman, and his desire to explair as well as he could the various items in the Vote, but surely he would recognise that no private individual in conducting his business would consider it good accounting that the original Estimate should be exceeded by 50 per cent. If these Supplementary Estimates merely represented small amounts they might be explained on the ground that they were almost inevitable, but with a few I exceptions the Supplementary Estimates were for large and alarming amounts.
MR. POWERsaid that the prediction of the state of things which would follow the new rule introduced by the First Lord of the Treasury had been borne out by what had taken place. If the officials who made up original Estimates came to believe that Supplementary Estimates would pass without criticism they would become careless in the preparation of the Estimates. No good business man in the conduct of his own affairs would be so very much out of his calculation as the Government appeared to be in regard to these Estimates.
§ MR. NANNETTIsaid there were coalfields in Ireland that might have been utilised. There were districts in Ireland where, he was happy to say, coal was being produced at 10s. per ton. He would suggest to the right hon. Gentleman the First Commissioner of Works that the Government would be doing a good act if they encouraged the Irish to develop the coalfields of the country. That question might be worthy of the consideration of the Cabinet.
§ MR. CULLINAN (Tipperary, S.)said that as a new Member he would state the opinion he had formed in regard to the manner in which the Estimates were prepared. In local boards throughout the country the Estimates when submitted gave details in order that the members of those boards might perfectly understand what was to be done with 1225 the money. He found the Estimates submitted in that House did not give the details they ought to give. When this matter was before them on a previous occasion they had what was described as an unpleasant and disgraceful scene in the House. Why was that? It was because the information asked by the Nationalist Members was not supplied. It was a most unbusinesslike method to
§ have these large accounts lumped together with no details, and so far as he was concerned he would, while he was in that House, try to resist the system and press every Minister to give information as to how the money was expended. Question put.
§ The House divided:—Ayes, 182, Noes, 49. (Division List No. 101.)
1227| AYES. | ||
| Acland-Hood, Capt. Sir Alex. F. | Gray, Ernest (West Ham) | Palmer, Walter (Salisbury) |
| Agnew, Sir Andrew Noel | Greene, Sir E. W. (B'rySEdm'ds) | Penn, John |
| Anson, Sir William Reynell | Greene, Henry D. (Shrewsbury) | Platt-Higgins, Frederick |
| Archdale, Edward Mervyn | Greene, W. Raymond-(Cambs.) | Plummer, Walter R. |
| Arkwright, John Stanhope | Grenfell, William Henry | Pretyman, Ernest George |
| Arnold-Forster, Hugh O. | Gretton, John | Priestley, Arthur |
| Asher, Alexander | Greville, Hon. Ronald | Pryce-Jones, Lt.- Col. Edward |
| Ashmead-Bartlett, Sir Ellis | Hamilton, Rt Hn Lord G.(M'dx) | Purvis, Robert |
| Atkinson, lit. Hon. John | Hardy, Laurence (Kent, Ashf'd | Radcliffe, R. F. |
| Bain, Colonel James Robert | Hare, Thomas Leigh | Reckitt, Harold James |
| Balfour, Rt. Hn. A.J. (Manch'r | Hay, Hon. Claude George | Reid, James (Greenock) |
| Balfour, Rt. Hn Gerald W. (Leeds | Hayne, Rt. Hn. Charles Seale- | Remnant, James Farquharson |
| Bathurst, Hon. Allen Benjamin | Heath, James (Staffords., N.W. | Rentoul, James Alexander |
| Beach, Rt. Hn. SirM. H. (Bristol) | Hobhouse, Henry (Somerset,E. | Ridley, Hn. M. W. (Stalybridge |
| Bell, Richard | Hope, J F(Sheffield, Brightside | Ridley, S. Forde (Bethnal Green |
| Bentinck, Lord Henry C. | Howard, Capt J (Kent, Faversh. | Rigg, Richard |
| Bignold, Arthur | Johnston, William (Belfast) | Ritchie, Rt. Hn. Chas. Thomson |
| Blundell, Colonel Henry | Johnstone, Heywood (Sussex) | Robertson, Herbert (Hackney) |
| Brand, Hon. Arthur G. | Joicey, Sir James | Roe, Sir Thomas |
| Brodrick, Rt. Hon. St. John | Jones, William (Carnarvonsh.) | Ropner, Colonel Robert |
| Brookfield, Colonel Montagu | Kenyon, Hon. Geo. T. (Denbigh) | Royds, Clement Molyneux |
| Bull, William James | Kenyon-Slaney, Col. W. (Salop. | Sackville, Col. S. G. Stopford- |
| Bullard, Sir Harry | Keswick, William | Samuel, S. M. (Whitechapel) |
| Butcher, John George | Knowles, Lees | Sassoon, Sir Edward Albert |
| Caldwell, James | Lambton, Hon. Frederick Wm. | Scott, Sir S. (Marylebone, W.) |
| Cautley, Henry Strother | Lawson, John Grant | Seton-Karr, Henry |
| Cavendish, R. F. (N. Lancs. | Legge, Col. Hon. Heneage | Sharpe, William Edward T. |
| Cavendish, V. C. W.(Derbysh. | Leigh-Bennett, Henry Currie | Shipman, Dr. John G. |
| Cecil, Evelyn (Aston Manor) | Leveson-Gower, Frederick NS. | Simeon, Sir Harrington |
| Cecil, Lord Hugh (Greenwich) | Levy, Maurice | Sinclair, Capt. J. (Forfarshire) |
| Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. J. (Birm.) | Lockwood, Lt.-Col. A. R. | Smith, HC (Northumb Tyns'ide) |
| Chamberlain, J Austen(Worc'r) | Long, Col. Chas. W. (Evesham) | Smith, James Parker (Lanarks.) |
| Chapman, Edward | Long, Rt. Hn. Walter (Bristol, S. | Smith, Hon. W. F. D. (Strand) |
| Churchill, Winston Spencer | Loyd, Archie Kirkman | Spencer, Rt. Hn CR(Northants) |
| Cochrane, Hon. Thos. H. A. E. | Lucas, Col. Francis (Lowestoft) | Stanley, Lord (Lancs.) |
| Collings, Rt. Hon. Jesse | Lucas Reginald J. (Portsmouth | Stock, James Henry |
| Corbett, A. Cameron (Glasgow | Macdona, John Cumming | Talbot. Lord E. (Chichester) |
| Cranborne, Viscount | MacIver, David (Liverpool) | Talbot, Rt. Hn. J. G. (Oxf'dUniv. |
| Cubitt, Hon. Henry | M'Arthur, Charles (Liverpool) | Thomas, F. Freenman-(Hastings |
| Dalkeith, Earl of | Majendie, James A. H. | Thornton, Percy M. |
| Davies, Sir Horatio D. (Chatham | Malcolm, Ian | Tollemache, Henry James |
| Dickson, Charles Scott | Maxwell, W.J.(Dumfriesshire | Ure, Alexander |
| Douglas, Rt. Hon. A. Akers- | Melville, Beresford Valentine | Valentia, Viscount |
| Durning-Lawrence, Sir Edwin | Middlemore, J. Throgmorton | Walker, Col. William Hall |
| Egerton, Hon. A. de Tatton | Molesworth, Sir Lewis | Walton, Joseph (Barnsley) |
| Elibank, Master of | Montagu, G (Huntingdon) | Warde, Lieut.-Col. C. E. |
| Fardell, Sir T. George | More, R. Jasper (Shropshire) | Wason, JohnCathcart (Orkney |
| Fellowes, Hon. Ailwyn Edward | Morgan, D. J. (Walthamstow | Welby, Sir Charles G. E. (Notts. |
| Fenwick, Charles | Morley, Charles (Breconshire | White, George (Norfolk) |
| Fielden, Edward Brocklehurst | Morrell, George Herbert | White, Luke (York, E.R.) |
| Finch, George H. | Morrison, James Archibald | Whiteley, H.(Ashton-under-L. |
| Finlay, Sir Robert Bannatyne | Morton, Edw. J. C. (Devonport) | Williams, Colonel R. (Dorset) |
| Fisher, William Hayes | Mowbray, Sir Robert Gray G. | Willox, Sir John Archibald |
| Fletcher, Sir Henry | Muntz, Philip A. | Wilson, Arthur S. (York,E.R. |
| Gladstone, Rt.HnHerbert John | Murray, Rt. Hn. A. G. (Bute) | Wilson, John (Glasgow) |
| Godson, Sir Augustus Frederick | Murray, Charles J. (Coventry) | Wortley, Rt. Hon. C. B. Stuart- |
| Gordon, Maj. E. (T'wer H'mlts) | Murray, Col. Wyndham (Bath) | Wyndham, Rt. Hon. George |
| Gore, Hon. F. S. Ormsby- | Newdigate, Francis Alexander | Young, Commander (Berks, E.) |
| Gorst, Rt. Hon. Sir John Eldon | Nicholson, William Graham | |
| Goschen, Hon. George Joachim | Nicol, Donald Ninian | TELLERS FOR THE AYES— |
| Goulding, Edward Alfred | O'Neill, Hon. Robert Torrens | Sir William Walrond and Mr. Anstruther. |
| Graham, Henry Robert | Orr-Ewing, Charles Lindsay | |
| NOES. | ||
| Abraham, Wm. (Cork, N.E.) | Goddard, Daniel Ford | O'Doherty, William |
| Ambrose, Robert | Hardie, J. K. (MerthyrTydvil) | O'Donnell, T. (Kerry, W.) |
| Boyle, James | Hayden, John Patrick | O'Dowd, John |
| Burke, E. Haviland- | Jameson, Maj. J. Eustace | O'Malley, William |
| Campbell, John (Armagh, S.) | Joyce, Michael | O'Shaughnessy, P. J. |
| Clancy, John Joseph | Leamy, Edmund | Power, Patrick Joseph |
| Condon, Thomas Joseph | Lundon, W. | Reddy, M. |
| Crean, Eugene | MacDonnell, Dr. Mark A. | Redmond, J. E. (Waterford) |
| Cullinan, J. | M'Dermott, Patrick | Redmond, William (Clare) |
| Delany, William | M'Fadden, Edward | Sullivan, Donal |
| Doogan, P. C. | M'Killop, W. (Sligo, North) | Trevelyan, Charles Philips |
| Duffy, William J. | Mooney, John J. | Weir, James Galloway |
| Duncan, James H. | Murphy, J. | Whitley, J. H. (Halifax) |
| Ffrench, Peter | Nannetti, Joseph P. | |
| Field, William | Nolan, Joseph (Louth, South) | TELLERS FOR THE NOES— |
| Flavin, Michael Joseph | O'Brien, K. (Tipperary, Mid.) | Captain Donelan and Mr. Patrick O'Brien. |
| Flynn, James Christopher | O'Connor, Jas. (Wicklow, W.) | |
| Gilhooly, James | O'Connor, T. P. (Liverpool) |
Question put and agreed to.