§ MR. G. A. HARDY (Suffolk, Stow market)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, having regard to his promise carefully to watch the operation of the Board of Trade arrangements for the audit of the accounts of electric lighting companies, he has arrived at the conclusion that it is undesirable in the public interests that the same auditors shall continue to act in the dual capacity of Board of Trade and shareholders' auditors; and, if so, whether, in view of the fact that the Board of Trade's own Return showed that this practice was pursued in no 113 less than forty-nine cases, he will consider the desirability of ending it in the new appointments that are about to be made.
§ MR. CHURCHILLYes, Sir. I do not intend to appoint any of the shareholders' auditors to act as official auditors of the accounts of the same electric lighting companies for the present year.