The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-07 00:00:00

SUPPLY.

The House then went into a Committee of Supply,
Mr. GREENE in the Chair.
On the motion that a supply be granted to her Majesty,
Mr. HUME said that he was of opinion that they
ought to hear the financial statement before they voted
any supply. He did not mean to divide the House on
this question, but he wished to guard himself against,
being misunderstood. Without having some informa-
tion before him, he was not prepared to vote for
an increase of the navy. His opinion was that the esti-
mate for the navy ought to be decreased. His humble
opinion was, that they should know the financial state-
ment before they voted any money for the expenses of
the country, and if he did not oppose the present motion,
it was because the Right Hon. Baronet promised at
an early day to bring forward his financial scheme,
His object in rising now was to guard himself, for the
reason assigned, against being bound to grant any supply
to her Majesty. His opinion was, that the state of the
c untry required they should reduce, by every means in
their power, the amount of taxation, and he would
frankly state that he was surprised the Right lion.
Baronet should have called on her Majesty to
congratulate the country on the amount of
taxation. If he looked at the papers laid on
the table to-day, it would appear that fifty-nine millions
would be received by the Treasury in the course of the
year, an amount much larger than in former years—
some ten years ago, when Europe was in an unsettled
state, and the state of America required a large es-
tablishment. But, now, when everthing tended to
security and
Peace! an increase in their establish-
ments was asked fur. He would ask the
Committee to support his opinion by pressing for a
division ; but he begged leave to enter his protest, for
the reasons assigned, against the grant, and he should
like to hear from the Right Hon. Baronet his exposition
of the plans he had in view.—(Hear.)
Sir R. PEEL felt assured that it could not be sup-
posed that her Majesty's Government would propose a
vote for any amount o!? supply, without laying before
the House a full statement of the reasons why that
amount of supply was demanded ; and therefore he did
hope that the Hon. Member would not prejudge and
condemn the course the Government intended to pursue
until he had heard what that course was. The Hon.
Member had said he conceived that the increase of steam
navigation was a reason why the taxation should be
lessened ; but were it nut possible that it might become
necessary to build new steam_vessels—(llear)—as the
commerce of the country might extend itself.—(Hear.)
Therefore, all he now asked of the Hon. Member was
to suspend his judgment until he had heard the state-
ment he (Sir R. Peel) had alluded to.—(hear.) Surely,
it was a legitimate cause of congratulation to the House
and to the country that the revenues had increased, and
that there was a surplus, and not m deficit in the
Treasury.
Mr. HUME had no objection to the Government con-
gratulating itself on that subject, and he for one would,
of course, be better pleased to hear of a surplus than a
deficit. But he would say that the only choice
the country had of a reduction in the public
expenditure was by keeping the Chancellor of the
Exchequer and the klrst Lord of the Treasury short of
money.—(Hear, and laughter.) Therefore he could not
c:eicur with the statement of the Hon. Baronet, for he
would repeat it, that the increase of steam navigation
was no reason for an increase of the public taxation.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL had no doubt but that when
the Right Hon. Baronet made his financial statement
he would assign good, and sufficient, and legitimate
grounds for the course he nod announced it as the inten-
tion of the Government to adopt.—(llear.)
He did not
concur in the opinion4of his lion. Friend behind him,
that it was matte? of surprise to have at this e*rlY