On Tuesday, Lord G. Hamilton entered into the financial strictures
of Lord Randolph Churelill. He pointed out that all the pressure exerted in Van House on the discussion of the Naval Estimates is pressure to increase the expelditure. Nine
out of every ten speeches are directed to extract promises that next year the expenditure on this or that class of naval votes shall be enlarged. He earnestly protested against the principle that the right way to apply pressure in the direction of economy is to insist on the reduction of the totals, and to disregard the discussion of items, as bad been done by Lord Randolph Churchill. If that were done, the Government would have to apply to their creditors (creditors, too, under contracts entered into by their predecessors), a plan not very different in principle from the " Plan of Campaign." Nevertheless, he was very much disposed to submit the expenditure of the great spending Departments to the examination of an impartial Committee, though it would be impossible for the Government to pledge itself to accept the recommendations of that Committee. Mr. Childers supported the suggestion that a week at least before the Estimates came on for discussion, there should be placed in the hands of Members of Parliament a memorandum explaining the grounds on which the Minister justified the estimates he asked for.
