The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-13 00:00:00

' • wnwornweloubt of thiewarrel-itwww Neatly end (rebated- that
no money had been voted by Parliament on account of
these works. Here he might refer to the estimates, rio
with a view to dismiss whether the expenditure was
proper or not, but merely to show the amount de-
'ended.
The estimates, then, stated that about 11,0001.
bad been expended, and the house would byand-by be
asked to vote that money on account of it. Now, he
apprehended there never was a clearer case 6f expenditure
incurred without the sanction of Parliament, and he
thought this was note question of trifling importance,
to be dealt with in committee as a mere estimate open to
criticism and objection. He did not intend to discuss
whether the expenditure was a proper or an improper
me-whether too much or too little bad been spent.
That was quite foreign to the more important poict in
volved, which was this ;—Admitting that Parliament
ought to have voted the money, and that not a sixpence
bad been unnecessarily expended, bow came it that pub-
lic money had been expended at alt without the sanction
of Parliament ? (Hear, hear.) Every schoolboy knew
how important a privilege it was, and not only a privi-
lsge but a duty, for Parliament to preserve •intact this
check upon the public expenditure. Perhaps, however,
as this was a new Parliament. he might shrive from his
own recollection how other Houses of Commons bad
dealt with cases of this kind. In 1841, when he was
Chancellor of the Exchequer, the First Naval Lord, in
consequence of the disturbances in Syria, thought it
- necessary for the public service to exceed hits estimates.
The subject came before the house. No one expressed
a doubt as to the propriety of the increased expenditure;
everybody seemed to admit that the Government had
exercised a wise discretion under the circumstances in
taking further precautions than were thought necessary
when the estimates were voted. But still the course
taken was objected to ; and the Government were called
upon not only to explain, but to give satisfaction for
having exceeded the estimates. Upon that occasion
Ministers admitted that extreme necessity anti the fact
that Parliament was not sitting at the time formed their
only justification ; but such was the view entertained
that a bill of indemnity being suegested, he himself
brought in a separate Appropriation Act with the view
of marking that the transaction was an irregular one,
not lightly to be passed over. The predecessor of the
present Speaker thought that objections existed to
the passing of such a bill, and it was accordingly
withdrawn, but in the Appropriation Act of the ses-
sion a special clause was introduced which stated the
necessity, and eranted the money only on that
ground; Again it happened that in Lord Auckland's
time the estimates upon the dockyard battalion had been
exceeded. The justification then was that at that mo-
ment there were reasons why additioral measures should
he taken for the protection of the country. Parliament,
however, was so far from admitting such an excuse, that
Mr. Hume moved a resolution, which was pretty equiva
lent to a vote of censure, declaring it to be the duty of
the Government not to exceed the estimates, and this
resolution was agreed to without a dissentient voice.
het instance was a still more remarkable one than the
one he had first mentioned, for the Treasury had given
tke Admiralty a very strong "jobation" for what it bad
done. The house would see that these were cases of a
much lighter character than that upon which be was re-
marking, because there Parliament bad admitted the prin•
ciple of the expenditure, and had actually voted a certain
sum ; and it was always considered that a mere excess of
expeneiture upon a sum granted was a more venial irre-
gulatity than to spend money upon a work which Parlia-
ment had never sanctioned. On looking at the last report
of the Audit-office which had been presented he found
that the auditors referred to a correspondence with t'-e
Treasury, in which they pointed out that in 25 instances
worSe had been undertaken and paid for by the Board o 1
Works before the sanction of Parliament had been ob-
tained, and that that sanction had not been obtained
until after the completion of the works. Some of those
works were trifline in amount, but there was an item of
1 0001. for wood pavement, and another of 1,6001. for
the great clock. He perceived that l.is rieht hoe'. friend
stated in c xelanation that al! these were cases of emer-
gency, and that he could not wait for a vote of Parlia-
ment. lie (Sir F. Baring) did not know whether that
great clock was connected with the great bell which was
to carry down his right hon. friend's name to posterity
—(a laugh)—hut be did not ex tctly see any emergency-
in the case which rendered it impossible to wait for a
vote of Parliament. As he had said, these sums were
small in amount, but when the house found that two
years ago there were 25 small peccaddl .es, and that no .v
we bad arrived at about 11,0001. so expended, it was
time for Parliament just to shoes that it bad not forgot!•
ten that which he apprehended to he one of its prieWerAl
de ice—namely, the control of the public expenditure.
(Hear.) A very strong impression prevailed in these drays
that the principal check which there. ought to he on t -e
public expenditure should consist in the audit. That
might be a eght or a wrong view—heavould n it stop to
discuss it ; but if he were right, and if a'l the other checks
were insufficient, 'se begged his right hon, friend to look
for a moment to the return which load been presented
last year upon the state of the accounts in the Au-lit
Department. He found frees that return that the ac-
e tints of the " C uninissioner, of H, r Mej iety's Woons.
Forests, Lands, Revenues, Works, nod Buileings," hall
been received up to 1351, and that they had been audited
up to 1848; so that the audit of that department
was neerly nine years ...in arrear. In 1851. a &mine
audit took place, one called the audit of the expenditure
an-t the other the appropriation audit ; nod to this latter
which was b7olght for yard from year to year, great value
was very properly atta,cl_e I. The reports of the auditors
were full of complaints of the way in which the accounts
were hrongbt before them, and the auditors stated teat
they were not able to present down to Parliament in a
satisfactory manner, owing to the way in which the ba-
lances of one year were carried on to the succeeding
year. Under these circunitances, be (Sir F. Rarity!)
thought that, instead of waiting for another year or two
to find out how the money bad been expended in S'.
James's Park, it wool(' be better to bring the subject
bef 're the House at once, in order to obtain some ex-
planation from hie right hon. friend. Whether that
explanation should be verbally sa•isfatitory or not, he
thought that the House sheet] not agree to a vote in-
cluding the money already spent witimet having the
whole of the papers before them, and be should he glad
if his right hon. friend would give a pledge not to avail
himself of this voei until the full papers were presented
to Parliament. (Hear, hear.) He did not wish to in-
terfere with the business of the house, and he shoal I
not follow up the subject, therefore, with any resolution.
Sir B. HALL said that his right hon. friend who bad
jest sat down had moved upon the 20th of May for papers
in relation to the works which bad been proceeded with in
St James's Park t that on the 8;h of the present month
those papers bad been'presented to Parliament, that th
were now being printed, and that they would very
shortly be laid before the house in a printed form. He
concurred most fully in all that his right hon, friend had
said as to its being the duty of Parliament to watch with
jealous care any expenditure of public money whice had
n t been sanctioned by a vote of the Legislature ; and
he thought that whoever called upon the Treasury for
any expenditure of public money which had not been se
sanctioned ought to hold himself respon-ible for his con-
tot, and ought to be prepared to give a good and suffi-
Sleet ex ,lunation to the House of Cminious with respect
to it. He proposed, therefore, to state to the house
every circumstance in coon xion with the expenditurs
upon the lake in St. James's Park. At the end of July,
1855, he wee appointed to his prea nt-office, having pre-
viously held the nppnintment of President of the B.atl
of Health. He was at the Board of Health during the
time that the cholera was raging in the metropolis, and
he was then brought into frequent contact with the' prin..
ep 1 medical practitioners in London ; and almost every
nr e o' them to whom be had spoken had pointed out the
defective state of tne lakes in the parks, and had urged
the necessity of having them put into a proper condition.
Os the 12th of October be wrote to the Trtasury, stating
that fact, and recommending the propriety of some steps
being taken in order to improve the state of the lakes in
the parks of the metropolis. He stated also that before
any works of that kind could be carried out, k would he
necessary to make an out-fell drain from the lake in St.
James's Park, because it happened, owing to circum-
stances which had occurred many years ago, that the
outfall was about five feet higher then the bed of the
lakes. He received the sanwion of the Treasury to the
• making of that outfall drain, and hon. members must he
aware that it was a very heavy work. It went from the
Victoria sewer near the Thames under the archway of
the Horse Guards, and it was finished during last sum-
mer. The house would recollect that last session
a select committee was appointed to consider the
communication from Pall-mall to Piralieo, and other
communications through St. James's Park, and once of the
res. lotions arrived at was that there should be a bridge
made across the ornamental water. On the 6.h of June
he proposed to the house a vote of 2,8001. for the erec-
tion of such a bridge, but his proposition was rejected.
The bridge was to have been very similar to the one
which was now being erected there, oily instead of
bet g a suspension bridge it was to have been sup-
porte d dby light cast-iron pillars, and it would have
"u mach cheaper than the present bridge, be-
hnil-de it
thatwou would not have been necessary in order to
the lake. the water should have been let out of
la t vote was rejected, however, and the
house deterrni
"
t Thst15 n that there shell be a suspension-
resolved upou towards the close of
I set session, Iparliament breaking up in the third week
in July. Ile theriu" t that it was essential that deep
foundations should beo
executed for the new bridge, that
it would be absolutely
the like, and that it must' eb3eari to let the water out of
out for a considerable time
during the progress of the svoør
also the desirasTaking that into con- '
eideretion, knowing
lake. and that abeut 40,000 or
stuff would be required to a. UP the holes
guhic yards of
lilies in the lake au order to render it earerafuodr like"
°wing to the mtvatt"
and sliders ; and finding, moreover,
buildings which were going on in the neighbourbo'a
that he could obtain that material for 1104114,w,
oe_rea,
ie another year it might cost Vat 2e. or 2s, 6,Cuaelard
(which would make & difference of 4,0001. or 5.0001. in
• the cost of the works), he had thought it better to urge
upon the Treasury the necessity of prsceedine with 01,
works at once, insteaad of waiting I.r another yea,.
when the cost of the material to which he bad a laded
might have added neerly 50 yer cent, to the original es-
timate. Under thee circumstarcee, be thought tise house
wculd be of opinion that he eves justified in urgisg on
the Treasury the expediency of coliftiencing a work
which he believed to be neces-ary fur the e ,mfort and
well-being of the inhatitacts of the metropolie•
wrote to the Treasury requesting power to proceed with
the work, and on the 27th of Aug. received their sanc-
tion. It had been his intention to ask for a vote this year
for the purpose of beginning the work, but under the
circurrodances ho bad stated he thought no time was to
be
.loet, because it was impossible to say a hether he
might not be oblieei, if be delayed, to ads f.ir a very
mach larger surn. Ile therefore thought it best, as it
was neeessary to let out the water of the lake, to pr. -
coed with the work. That was the full explanation lie
hill to'givre. He was ready to almit that neither he