§ Dr. MACNAMARAI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if he can state when it is proposed to take the Colonial Office Vote.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI have made inquiries on this subject. My right hon. friend informs me that the financial Blue-book will be issued next Thursday, and the general Blue-book on the following Thursday. Therefore I do not suppose that the House will desire to take the Colonial Office Vote before Thursday, 14th July.
MR. DALZIBL (Kirkcaldy Burghs)Can the right hon. Gentleman say when the Finance Bill will be resumed?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURNo, I cannot.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANMay I point out to the Prime Minister that Army Estimates must necessarily have two days. There will be the statement of the Secretary for War, and then 1268 there must be an interval before the discussion takes place. As to the Colonial Vote, the right hon. Gentleman knows that at least two great subjects will be largely discussed on it, and it appears to me extremely unlikely that one day will be sufficient for the discussion. The result would be that these two important branches of the Estimates will be relegated to what I may call the dog days, and may be so long delayed that there will be no opportunity of discussing them at all.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not think the gloomy consequences which the right hon. Gentleman has drawn from my Answer are really legitimate inferences from it. All I said was that next Thursday, for financial reasons, could not be devoted to anything but supplying the Treasury with the necessary funds for carrying on the day-to-day business of the country. I made no Answer as regarded later Thursdays, except to point out that, as the House will not have for a fortnight the Blue-books promised by my right hon. friend the Colonial Secretary, they will probably desire to put off the Colonial Vote until they have the Blue-books.
SIR H. CAMPBELL BANNERMANThe cause of that is the undue and unexpected postponement of the Papers on the question.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURNot undue.