The record-union., 1896-03-18
No Thought Of Departing From the Gold
Standard In the United Kingdom.
Prosperity Dependent Upon the Pres.
ent System.
The Province of Orel, in Southern
Russia, Visited by Terrible Snow
Storm-One Hundred and Thirty
Persons Frozen TO Death in One
Night-Large Numbers of Horses
and Cattle Also Frozen.

LONDON, March 17.-In the House
of Commons to-day Sir G. ]. Peterson
Lord Advocate of Scotland, replying to
a question by Henry Seton-Karr Con
servative), said that the State-aided
Crofter colonizing scheme in the west
ern 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 unex-
pended, but the Government was not
prepared to start any further schemes
of the kind.
Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary OF
State for the Colonies, replying to Mr.
I.abouchere, said that the objections
made to the continuance of the Char
tered South African Company ought to
be removed by the decision of the Gov
ernment to take the whole military po-
lice into it's own hands.
George N. Curzon, Parliamentary
Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said the
Italian Government has informed the
Government of Great Britain that it
views with pleasure the advance of the
British expedition upon Dongola, which
could not be otherwise than an advan-
tage to the Italians at Kassala. Nc
pledges had been exchanged, he said, in
regard to the mutual assistance.
j. NJ. White, member for Forfarshire
asked 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.
Herbert Whitley moved a resolution
declaring that the House was of the
opinion that the instability of the rela-
tive value of gold and silver since the
action of the Latin Union in 1893 has
proved injurious to the best interests of
the country, and urging the Govern
ment to do everything possible to Sc
cure by international agreement a
stable monetary par of exchange be-
tween gold and silver
Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Chancellor
of the Exchequer, reminded the House
of the passage of a resolution at the last
session urging the Government to Co
operate with the other Powers in a con-
ference aiming to remove the evils aris-
ing from the fluctuations in gold and
silver. The present Government did not
wish to recede from that resolution
The Government was willing to enter
into negotiations with the Pow, 1rs for a
conference, but on the understanding
that 1t was not prepared to abandon the
gold standard. (Cries of Heart
Hear!')
Some of his colleagues, notably the
First Lord of the Treasury (Balfour),
were pronounced bimetallists, but all
agreed in thinking that they would not
be justified in departing from a gold
standard in the United Kingdom. The
prospects of an agreement between the
European nations in favor of bimet-
allism were not great. There was no
doubt if the Powers could agree re-
garding the use of silver, that the In
dian Government would reconsider the
question of reopening it's mints. All
the leading English monetary experts
held that the wealth of the country had
been built upon a gold standard, and
that its permanency and prosperity
were dependent upon the existing sys-
tenn. In view of that opinion, no re-
sponsible Government would propose
to change the present conditions
long debate followed.
Mr.. CurZon read the telegrams re-
ceived at the Foreign Office from Lord
Cromer, British Diplomatic Agent in
Egypt, upon which the Government
based its decision to advance upon Dom
gcla. The kilograms included informa-
ton that Osman Digna was advancing
into the Suakim district; that mer-
chants who had made their escape from
Berber reported that the Dervishes
were preparing to attack Mured Wells,
and that a large force of 'Mahdists had
left Omdurman for Dongola.
The kilograms also contained a dis
patch from the British Consul at Sua-
kim announcing the renewal of the ac-
Digna, and stating that the Dervishes
were raiding Tokas and had reappeared
at the Sinkat, and the Mahdi had pro-
claimed heavy war against the Ital-
ians and forbidden them to engage in
traffic on the Berber coast.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt said he
welcomed the declarations of Sir Mi
chael Hicks Beach that the Govern
ment 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 Government on this
question. This ought to be the last ap-
pearance of the bimetallists in Parlia-
ment.
The Right Hon. A. j. Balfour fol-
lowed Sir William and made a some
what lengthy defense of his known
views as a bimetallist.
The resolution was then adopted
without division heinq 2 ken