It seems not impossible that their usual ill-luck in finance
will attend the Tories, and that Sir Stafford Northcote, having come in to a surplus of six millions, may have to deal with a deficit of one or two in 1875. On Tuesday, Mr. Childers, in Committee on the Navy Estimates, drew the attention of the House to the fact that the vote for the 'Shannon' of /40,000 this year would bring.up the sum to be charged.by way of mortgage on next year's Estimates to the amount of £400,000; and, having lately demonstrated, to the satisfaction of everybody except the Editor of the Pall Mall Gazette and a select circle of old Admirals, that the British Navy never was relatively so powerful as it is now, he again cautioned the Chancellor of the Exchequer against the extravagant tendencies of the First Lord. But evidently he had a deeper purpose. Mr. Childers showed that if the return of the portion of the year which had just passed was a fair criterion, there had been a falling-off to the extent of £187,000,—equal to a deficiency of two millions odd ota theknataia and he wished to. knew. kern Sir Stafford Northcoierwhethtmathere were any dis- turbing causes in action to, accooma for tio. Sir Stafford was, evidently carefully prepared( for do quest* and while able to. say that the real state of the Treasury wreasemewhat better than the figures showed, admitted without reluctance that "the revenue was not so brilliant as he could wish." The alarm of a. possible deficit, after the successive surpluses of the late Govern- ment, will do much to help Sir Stafford in his sincere and arduous struggle for economy.
Previous page
