The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-02-05 00:00:00

QUESTIONS.

In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, Sir J. Fergusson, in
answer to questions from Mr. Bryce and others, said
that Port Hamilton was to be evacuated on the advice
of competent naval men, and after a guarantee from
the Chinese Government that it should not be occu-
pied by any foreign Power. In answer to Mr. Henniker
Heaton, Mr. Raikes said that the Parcel Post Conven-
tion with France signed in June last had not yet been
ratified by the French Government, and correspon.
dence was still going on.

LORD O. HAMILTON.
The adjourned debate on the Address was resumed
by
Lord G. Hamilton, who dealt mainly with the
financial question, and pointed out in reply to Lord R.
Churchill that to attack totals only and refuse to enter
Into details must end in expenditure being tested by
outlay only without reference to results. Lord R.
Churchill's suggestions were well worthy of considera.
tion, but there were difficulties in the way. A Committee
charged to examine into all the details of the Army and
Navy expenditure must last some years. Then, again,
was the Committee to go into questions of policy?
mid how could it deal with new inventions, which
were the chief cauees of the increase in the Navy Esti.
mates? On two questions, however, the Government
would be glad of the assistance of the House :—Were
the establishments too large for the work done,
and did the country get an adequate return for tho
expenditure? But on this point he mentioned that
' while the cost 3f our navy had increased 16 per cent.
in ten years our commerce and commercial marine had
increased cent, per cent., while the cost of the French
navy had increased 39 per cent., of the Germax navy
43 per cont., of the Russian navy 45 per cent., and of the
Italian navy 133 per cent. There could be no economy
except by continuous policy, and the controversy with
Lord R. Churchill had arisen solely out of the fact that
previous Governments had not paid their way. On the
general question of the Union the noble lord said that
no member of the Government would do anything to
alienate those allies by whose assistance the victory at
the general election had been won, and by whose
further co-operation they hoped to maintain the
Union.
. MR. CHILDERS.
, Mr. Childers approved Lord R. Churchill's suggestion
that the Ministerial statement on the Army and Navy
, Estimates should be accompanied by an expose des
motifs, and though not in favour of a Standing Com-
mittee, which would weaken Ministerial responsibilities,
be would support a proposal for a full examination of
the Estimates by a Committee. He should be glad to
glee any assistance in his power to a thorouhh super-
-4
vision
et -the expenditure, and he hoped the House
W li4l eselllpport any Government which did its best
'e
'to tatekrelfetkehment
MR. CHAPLIN'S CRITICISM Or LORD RANDOLPH. '
, Mr. Ohatlip. - oriticiaing. „Pe aneech of Lord R.
••• . ••• ••• , •. ... .. f• ^ 1.• .

Churchill, -strongly dis4Pioved oi hli iulterS
Liberal Unionists, but heartily joined in his apprecia-
tion of the admirable manner in which the Chief
Secretary had performed his duties. Twitting Lord R.
Churchill with having made two explanations of his
resignation when one would have sufficed, he failed to
see that he had justified his farictures on Lord Salis-
bury, and maintained that in his first explanation he
distinctly attributed his resignation to the refusal of
the Cabinet to reduce the estimates for the coaling
stations. Pcssibly he might have lately recommended
economy, but he had in his earlier speeches undoubtedly
advocated a liberal expenditure for naval and military
purposes, and these speeches, he contended, contrasted
most unfavourably with his more recent utterances.
If, however, he was pledged to economy, he was ten
times more pledged to uphold the Union and to main-
tain the union of the Unionist party, and the taunts
he had levelled at the Liberal Unionist leaders would,
he was sure, be received by every member of the Con.
servative party with the most profound regret. He
accepted his challenge to appeal to the people for
approval of his actions and his policy, but he did not
hesitate to say that the people of England would resent
his desertion of a cause and a party at the time of its
greatest need.