§ SIR HENRY KIMBER (Wandsworth)To ask the hon. Member for the Elland Division, as representing the Charity Commissioners, whether he is aware that, in the month of July, 1907, the trustees of the Weir Hospital Trust for Streatham gave, or caused to be given, to the governors of the Bolingbroke Hospital a sum of £5,000 out of the funds of the said trust; will he say whether such application of the trust money was justified by any, and what, terms of the will of the testator; whether such application of the trust money was made with the sanction of the Charity Commissioners, and, if so, under what statutory or other power was such sanction given; whether any, and what, steps have been, or will be, taken, to restore such sum of £5,000 to the trust fund; whether he is aware that immediately following such gift two of the assenting trustees were made life governors of the Bolingbroke Hospital; that on the day before the Wandsworth Borough Council met to elect three representatives to the committee of management of the trust, in place of the retiring members, the trustees of the said fund co-opted two of such retiring representatives to be life trustees; whether such co-option was in direct contravention of the terms of the wall; and, if so, whether any steps have been, or will be, taken to remove such illegally appointed trustees, or to prevent them from acting in the administration of the trust.
(Answered by Mr. Trevelyan.) The payment of £5,000 in question was made 1057 with the sanction of the Commissioners as an advance in accordance with terms agreed upon between the trustees of the Weir Charity and the committee of the Bolingbroke Hospital, under which part of the Weir endowment was to be applied for the enlargement and maintenance of that hospital, in consideration of advantages to be secured for the benefit of patients from Streatham and the neighbourhood. At the date of the payment the Commissioners had expressed their willingness to publish a scheme for the administration of the Weir Charity in substantial accordance with the proposals of the trustees. The Commissioners are now engaged in framing a scheme for this purpose with considerable variations from the original proposals, and in whatever arrangement is ultimately decided upon the payment in question will be accounted for. The Commissioners understand that all the Weir trustees have been nominated life-governors of the Bolingbroke Hospital. With regard to the co-option referred to by the hon. Member the Commissioners
| On Outward Mails. | On Homeward Mails. | Total. | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| To France | 46,323 | 13,663 | 59,986 |
| To Italy | 35,732 | 11,613 | 47,345 |
§ Payment for mails sent to this country by the route of Naples is effected by the Colonies concerned and is not included in the foregoing amounts. Besides these amounts payment for Continental transit of outward parcel mails sent by the packets of the Peninsular and Oriental and the Orient Lines is made to France and Italy. The payment to France for the financial year to 31st March, 1907, was £1,062 and to Italy £541.