HC Deb 21 March 1905 vol 143 cc735-9

That a Supplementary sum, not exceeding £550,000, 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, 1905, for additional Expenditure in respect of the following Army services, viz.:—

£
Vote 1. Pay, etc., of the Army 985,000
Vote 2. Medical Establishments, Pay, etc. 21,000
Vote 6. Transport and Remounts 265,000
Vote 7. Provisions, Forage, and other supplies 260,000
Vote 12. Miscellaneous Effective Services 2,000
Vote 14. Retired Pay, Half-Pay, and other non effective charges for Officers, etc. 1,000
£
Vote 15. Pensions and other non-effective charges for Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, Men, and others 2,000
1,536,000
Less Surpluses on other Votes 386,000
1,150,000
Deduct Excess Appropriations in Aid 600,000
£550,000

Resolution read a second time.

MR. COURTENAY WARNER (Staffordshire, Lichfield)

said that this Vote covered a very wide subject, and he regretted that it had come up at so late an hour.

THE CHANCELLOR Of THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN, Worcestershire, E.)

said that if hon. Members opposite desired to discuss the Vote he was perfectly willing to defer it.

MR. COURTENAY WARNER

said in that case he would move the adjournment of the debate.

MR. HERBERT SAMUEL (Yorkshire, Cleveland)

asked whether under the Closure Resolution it was not out of order to move a dilatory Motion, this being one of the specified days.

*MR. SPEAKER

That is so. The adjournment of the debate is a dilatory Motion; therefore I am afraid the hon. Member will have to occupy the remaining few minutes of the sitting.

MR. COURTENAY WARNER(resuming)

said he would conclude by moving a reduction of £250,000. One complaint against this Vote was that it was almost wholly due to lack of foresight. If the War Office were an economical Department always striving to save the taxpayers' money mistakes of £10,000 or £20,000 might occasionally be overlooked, but, unfortunately, they were always making mistakes on the wrong side, and it was the duty of the House carefully to scrutinise all these additional Votes, and to go thoroughly into the mistakes of accounting. The question of Somaliland had had considerable light thrown upon it by the recent treaty which had been brought about by pacific means, and which apparently we might have secured years ago had we gone the right way to work. What the country would want to know was why that was not done, instead of millions of money being spent and many lives lost. Then there was the question of Appropriations-in-aid. He had been told that during the last twelve months the War Office brought under contract 40,000 suits of clothes at 11s. odd. It was then found that the clothes would not be needed before the end of the year, and, therefore, they were sold at a price less than they cost to make. That was the kind of thing that made the accounts of the War Office exceptionally difficult to go into.

And, it being half-past Seven of the clock, Further Consideration of the Resolution stood adjourned.

Resolution to be further considered to-morrow.