§ 23. Rear-Admiral ADAIRasked whether, under the Order in Council of 10th August, 1888, the proportion of freight falling due to Greenwich Hospital funds was one quarter of the whole sum paid as freight; whether in the case of freight paid since the Order in Council of 26th October, 1914, this proportion would have brought £438,285, or thereabouts, to Greenwich Hospital funds; and whether, having regard to the possibility of increasing pensions both to officers and men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines had such a sum been paid to those funds, he will say whether the £15,000 only which has actually been contributed to Greenwich Hospital funds should be augmented by at least a further £400,000?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Dr. Macnamara)The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. But by the annulment of the Older in Council in question, the arrangement under which Greenwich Hospital funds received one-quarter of the sum paid for the conveyance of private treasury in H.M. Ships automatically ceased. In view, however, of the fact that a source of revenue which had existed for many years was thus terminated, it was agreed to make a grant of £15,500 out of a total sum of £30,963 4s. 6d. received as freight and insurance on a shipment of gold early in 1915, on the understanding that no further sums would in future accrue to Greenwich Hospital from the conveyance of treasure. I may add that the amount thus paid to Greenwich Hospital was more than the equivalent of the receipts of Greenwich Hospital from this source during the preceding fifty years. Perhaps I might say, regarding the answer given on Wednesday last, that the amount received by the Admiralty was for insurance and freight, the greater portion being for insurance, and that Greenwich Hospital was at no time entitled to share in the receipts for insurance.