§ Motion made and Question proposed, "That the Contract, dated the 21st day of January, 1910, between the Postmaster-General and the Glasgow and South-Western Railway Company for the conveyance of Mails between Ardrossan and ports in Arran and between Greenock and Rothesay (printed in Parliamentary Paper, No. 88, of Session 1910), be approved."—[Mr. Hobhouse.]
§ Sir F. BANBURYI am not going to object to this, but I would like to point out that this contract was made in 1907. It is now 1910, and it seems rather a long time to have waited before getting it ratified, especially as there is a clause at the end which says it shall not be binding until ratified by Parliament. The contract is to run for ten years, three of which have already passed without the necessary ratification.
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI think the hon. Baronet is quite entitled to a few words of explanation. Apparently this was part of a much larger contract with the Glasgow and South-Western Railway Company for a land service. These land services do not, like the seaborne services, come under the consideration of this House. The original contract came to an end, and since then it has been carried on by a series of yearly agreements, which do not have to be brought before this House. In January this year, however, we came to another agreement which necessitated the present contract being submitted to Parliament.
§ Question put, and agreed to.