§ MR. LOUGHI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, having regard to the character of his proposals for Imperial defence and the growing 985 opinion in favour of large reductions in the national expenditure to enable the country to meet its liabilities, he can see his way to undertake that the Government shall reconsider the outlay proposed in the Estimates for the present year, and so initiate steps to relieve distress and abate the growing discontent.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI think the hon. Gentleman has put this Question under a misapprehension. In the opinion of the Government the Estimates of the year are not in any excess of the national requirements; and I am sorry to say that the general lines of defensive policy which I endeavoured to sketch last Thursday do not, to my mind, hold out any hope of a reduction of the important kind which appeared in our debate on naval expenditure.
§ MR. LOUGHMight not expenditure on capital account be somewhat modified in view of the declarations made?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe hon. Gentleman has not seen our proposals for capital expenditure as yet. The Bill has not been brought in.