§ Captain BOURNEI beg to move, in page 21, line 6, after the word "three," to insert the word "six."
The reason I move this Amendment is that this Clause provides that the powers of the Minister shall be exercised in accordance with such conditions as may be prescribed by the Treasury. This applies to his powers under Clauses 2, 3, 9, and 12 of this Bill, but, with regard to one of the most important Clauses of this Bill, namely, Clause 6, which may run into very large expenditure, I do not find the condition that his powers shall only be exercised by the consent of the Treasury, and I want to know why it has been left out. I have never seen a Bill in which the consent of the Treasury is so much asked as in this Bill, but it is not asked with regard to Clause 6. It seemed to me, therefore, that, where this great amount of money is going to be spent and where the Treasury is asked to interfere so much, a little more interference would not do much harm.
§ Captain DUGDALEI beg to second the Amendment.
§ Dr. ADDISONThe reason why this particular reference to the Treasury is not inserted with regard to the powers of the Minister to provide smallholdings is that they are already exercised under the existing Act. We take power under the present Bill to exercise them under the existing Act, and the arrangements made are made with the concurrence of the Treasury, so that the present practice will continue. There is nothing new in it, and the control of the Treasury is already effectively exercised.
§ Amendment negatived.