§ MR. BRIGHT (Shropshire, Oswestry)To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention has been called to the fact that the proposed issue of Exchequer Bonds has occasioned a fall in the price of Consols; and whether any further borrowings, other than those already announced, are in contemplation by the Government.
(Answered by Mr. Austen Chamberlain.) I have observed the recent fall in the price of Consols. I do not anticipate that it will be necessary to make an issue of Exchequer Bonds under the provisions of the two Bills now before the House before November next, and it is not anticipated that the amount to be raised in this way during the current financial year will exceed six or seven millions. There are no further borrowings now in contemplation beyond those already authorised and the usual temporary borrowings to supply the needs of the Exchequer pending the receipt of revenue.