The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-23 00:00:00

TRADESMAN'S CUP.

vanhoff . .. 1
Eight ran.

LATEST BETTING.
THE DERBY.

100 to 3 agst Dictator

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.---(THIS EVENING.)
The SPEAKER, took the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Lords' amendments to the Neath Water Bill were
considered and agreed to. The following bills were read a
third time and passed :—Cockermouth, Keswick, and Pen-
rith Railway; Dublin and Antrim Junction Railway ;
Henley-in-Arden Railway; London and North Western
Railway (Additional Powers) ; Southampton and Netley
Railway; and West Cheshire Railways (Verbal Amend.-
manta to be proposed).
The following bills were considered and ordered for third
reading :—Dartmouth and Torbay Railway, Galashiels and
Peebles Railway, Northampton Water, Ramsey Railway,
Thames Haven Dock (Abandonment), Uxbridge Gas West
Cornwall Railway, and Workington Tidal Basin and
Railway.
The following bills were read a second time :—Grand
Junction Water, Leigh District Gas, North London Rail-
way (Branch to the City), and North London Railway
(Widening).

PETITIONS.
Several petitions were presented praying for the adoption
of measures to develope the agricultural and commercial
resources of India, for a more equitable arrangement with.
reference to the exercise of their religious worship by
Roman Catholics in workhouses, and for increased facili-
ties for the religious education of Roman Catholic children,
for an alteration in the mode of levying the income tax, &c.
PROVIDENT SOCIETIES.
Mr. SLANEY gave notice that on Tuesday next he
would move for leave to bring in a bill to amend and extend
the act relating to provident societies.
COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY.
Lord J. RUSSELL, in the absence of Lord Palmerston,
moved that the house would immediately resolve itself into
committee of supply, and stated that the motion had be
come necessary in consequence of the house having been
counted out one night preceding the recess.

NAVY ESTIMATES.
On the motion that the Speaker do leave the chair,
Sir F. SMITH called the attention of the house to the
report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire
into the control and management of her Ma-
jesty's naval yards, and moved, That it is expe-
dient that such reforms should be made in the control
and management of her Majesty's naval yards as will tend
to promote greater efficiency, and consequently to insure
greater economy in those establishments. The hon. and
gallant member said that the Commissioners had examined
a number of witnesses, and received some thousands of
answers, but not one of the witnesses examined pretended
that the present management of the dockyard was not in-
efficient. In the first place, the accounts were kept in a
manner that were of no value for practical purposes. He
referred to the evidence of Sir James Graham, who stated
that when he was First Lord of the Admiralty ah
little control was exercised over the expenditure
of the department to which he referred that a
large building was erected without a vote, or even the know-
ledge of the House of Commons. It had also been stated
before the Commission that there were no means of know-
ing what was the cost of building men-of-war. In fact the
accounts were kept in such a manner as would ruin any
commercial firm. He adverted next to the suggestions which
had been made for rendering the management of the Board
of Admiralty more effective. He contended that the con-
tracts had been carried out in the most slovenly manner,
and illustrated this assertion by reference to the Warrior
and gunboats, in which alterations at great expense had to
be effected. He thought it was imperative that great altera-
tions should be introduced into the existing system, and
particularly in respect to the principle now proceeded on
with regard to the builders in the dockyardF,who were able
men, but whose abilities were not developed fully
by the application of that principle. The honour-
able and gallant • gentleman, who was imperfectly
understood, cited various cases to show the evils that re-
sulted to the public service from the want of proper respon-
sibility on the part of the Board of Admiralty, and quoted
the evidence of Sir Baldwin Walker, to the effect
that there was no efficient control over the dockyards.
He contended that there should be capital accounts fur-
-1 nished with reference to each of the ships to be built, that
proper estimates should be prepared, and that the contracts
should bo executed within the time specified by those
undertaking them. Ho concluded by impressing on the
house the importance of this subject to the interests of the
public service.
Sir M. SEYMOUR said that the report of the commis-
sioners was before the Accountant General, and no doubt
that able officer would eventually place the accounts in a
proper position. With regard to what had been previously
done, he alluied to an alteration which he remembered
to have been introduced in 1853, by which dockyard
accounts were separated from what were called manufac-
turing accounts, but he did not approve of the sys-
tem. When he was in France, in 1849, the
whole question of the naval expenditure of that coun-
try was inquired into, and certain alterations for securing
more efficiency in the naval department. He did not see
what benefit would result from the elaborate audit proposed
by the hon. and gallant member (Sir F. Smith), and he did
not see how the present system of keeping accounts could
be altered to any extent.
Lord C. PAGET thanked the hon. and gallant member
for Chatham (Sir F. Smith) for bringing before the
house this subject, which had occupied so much
roecf
opmumbleicndadttbeynttihon. With
eco2missionreesrpsercet the
iatit%
tothea l t erat iGI
manage-
ment of the dockyards, considering that there was a
commission sitting in which this subject would be con-
sidered, he thought it would not be advisable for
the Admiralty to make any alterations in respect to
mthat
na ter.
that th he
ra a
ed
should s also been
be
an
n recommendedofficer
wbri
otappointed
brought
phhyo
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nirh.
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audits,
do mnt
as
et-,
and
tSomerset-househat the
variousf o the r
accountspurpos dealingesohfould
be
focus to the Admiralty, from which a report;
should be framed and submitted to Parliament. That
recommendation had the approval of the Government. He
said that some misunderstanding prevailed in reference to
the Warrior, and other subjects adverted to by the hon.
member (Sir F. Smith.)
[LEFT SPEAKING.]