IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXIX, Issue 12111, 4 July 1903, Page 3

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

United Press Association—Per Electric Telegraph—Copyright. Received 9 a.m., July 3rd. LONDON, July 2. - The ' financial clause in the Irish Land .Bill has been agreed to. In the House of Commoiw, Mr Balfour, replying to . questions, stated that he was mable to say -when the fiscal enquiry will be completed, but he was able to assure hte questioners that there was no probability of any dislocation e-f trade. Received midnight, July 3rd. LONDON, July 3. In Committee of Supply, on the vote for £9.571,500 for contract work, Mr Arnold-Fcrsteri Secretary to the Admiralty, surprised and delighted his critics by announcing that the Admiralty would not "** Teriew' the subsidies to merchant cruisers. : He gives on April Ist one year's notice -•£ the. termination of the arrangement. r - There are, he said,'other purposes which - might he served, by subsidies where sbrnething can be obtained which it is impossible t» obt<fri otherwise, but any subsidies voted hy Parliament ought to be administered 'by soape central authority. It might be 'expedient ta pay a, subsidy lor a very high speed or for other qualifications. * Mi- Robertson emphasised the fact that the Naval Budget totalled £39.000.000, including £4,000,000 for naval works and far new sonstructicn, which showed an increase «i £1,000,000. Mr Amold-iForster, replying to general criticism, justified the mention in the Estimate? ol the colonial contributions, which had been promised. It would, he said, ,be disoonrteous not to mention them, but confirmation of the colonial Premiers' promises was requiied before the contributions could te raid. He added that the Admiralty were eliminating from the list manv (tefective ships, and were asking that werV'sfcip retained should be effective for "" war." At the end of 1903 they would - ha-w .«. rarger number of effective vessels than ev*r before. The Admiralty's suppression ct'.he re-. tainins fee for" mercantile vessels saves £77.813 per annum. Mr Arcoid-Forster, Secretary to the Admiralty, declines to explain hpV far the* Cnn&rd Company is afferte'l. It is understood that any subsidv in fntnre will be exclusively to the fastest ships, which otherwise would not lie built.