The San Francisco call., 1896-03-18
Sir Michael Hicks.Beach Objects
to Departing From the
Gold Standard.
HAD BUILT UP THE COUNTRY.
First Lord of the Treasury Balfour,
However, Favors the White
Metal.

LONDON, Eng, March lin the
House of Commons to-day Herbert
Whitley moved a resolution declaring that
the House was of the opinion that the in
stability of the relative value of gold and
silver since the action of the Latin Union
in 1898 has proved injurious to the best
interests of the country, and urging the
Government TO do everything possible to
secure by international agreement stable
monetary par of exchange between gold
aud silver.
Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Chancellor of
the Exehequer, reminded the House of the
passage of a resolution at the last session
urging the Government to cooperate with
the other powers in s conference aiming to
remove the evils arising from the huctua-
tions in gold and silver. The present Gov
ernment did not wish to recede from that
resolution. The Government was willing
to enter into negotiations with the powers
for conference, but on the understanding
that it was not prepared to abandon the
gold standard in the United Kingdom.
[Cries OF "Hearl Hearp]
Some of his colleagues, notably the
First Lord of the Treasury (Mr. Balfour)
were pronounced bimetallists, but all
agreed in thinking that they would not be
justified in departing from gold standard
in the United Kingdom. The prospects
of an agreement between the European
nations in favor of bimetallism were not
great. There was no doubt if the powers
could agree regarding the use of silver
that the Indian Government would re-
consider the question of reopening its
mints. All the leading English monetary
experts held that the wealth of the coun-
try had been built upon gold standard
and that its permanence and prosperity
were dependent upon the existing system.
In view of that opinion no responsible
Government would propose to change the
present conditions.
A long debate followed.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt said he
welcomed the declarations of Sir Michael
Hicks Beach that the Government did not
intend to depart from the established
monetary system. 1t was not creditable to
England, he added, that until now doubt
had existed as to the views of the Govern
melt on this question. This ought to be
the last appearance of the bimetallist in
Parliament.
The Right Hon. A. J. Balfour followed
Sir William, and made a somewht lengthy
defense of his known views as bimetallist.
The resolution was then adopted with
out division being taken.
Mr.. J. M. White, member for Forfar-
shire, asked Mr.. Walter Long, president of
the Board of Agriculture, whether he could
not postpone the permanent exclusion of
Canadian cattle until the report of the
remonstrances of the Dominion Parliament
should be received.
Mr.. Long said he could not see any way
of postponing the exclusion.
Sir G. j. Pearson, Lord-Advccate OF
Scotland, replying to a question by Henry
Seton-Karr, Conservative, said that the
state-aided crofter colonizing scheme in
the western part of the Dominion of
Canada had not been attended with much
success up to the present time. The
colonizing board, he said, had $4,000 still
unexpended, but the Government~wa not
prepared to start any further schemes of
the kind.
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary OF
State for the Colonies, replying to Mr.
Labouchere, said that the objections made
to the continuance of the chartered South
Africa Company ought to be removed by
the decision of the Government to take the
whole military police into its own hands