Votes in The votes in Committee of Supply are usually proposed for large sums for particular heads of services, but as the separate items for which the supply is required are detailed in the estimates, the practice of the House (as altered in 1857) permits of a question being put that any item objected to be omitted from the proposed vote,' or, be reduced by the sum of £,' as the case may be. Where a general reduction of a particular vote is proposed, the question is first put upon the smallest amount proposed to be granted; and, in like manner, if more than one amendment be offered, conformably to the ancient order of the House, That where there comes a question between the greater and lesser sum, or the longer and shorter time, the least sum and the longest time ought first to be put to the question.' * After a motion for the reduction of a particular item in a vote has been proposed from the chair, it is not competent to propose a motion in relation to, or to debate, a previous item,' but any question in regard to the same may be raised report of the resolutions to the House. 6 upon the It is irregular to move in Committee of Supply for the adoption of a general resolution in regard to any particular vote, or to move that a particular vote be referred to a select committee. But a vote can be reduced, with the ulterior object of moving in the House for the appointment of a select committee to enquire into the question connected therewith." A vote proposed in Committee of Supply may not, in point of form, be postponed, because there is no period to which it can be postponed. But the mover may, with the consent of the committee, withdraw it, and submit it again on another day, with or without alteration, and either as a distinct vote, or in separate items." May, Parl. Prac. ed. 1863, pp. 559-562. Hans. Deb. vol. clxxii. p. 1026. Ibid. vol. clxxix. P. 1286. Mirror of Parl. 1831, p. 1826; Ibid. 1831-2, p. 3472. Hans. Deb. vol. clxxii. p. 131. b Ibid. vol. clix. p. 549. e Mirror of Parl. 1830, p. 1498 ; Ibid. 1840, p. 2867. On June 15, 1863, Lord Palmerston moved, in Committee of Supply, for the adoption of a vote of 67,000l. to purchase land at South Kensington. This formed part of a general proposition for the purchase of the International Exhibition building, the entire cost of which had been stated in the estimates at 484,000l. Of this amount, the one item of land alone had been estimated at 172,000l.; and objection was taken that the government had no right, suddenly, and without previous notice, to ask for a less sum than they had proposed in the estimates to apply for. But it was ruled by the chairman, and subsequently by the speaker, that there was nothing irregular in this proceeding. On June 8, 1865, the vote for temporary commissions was taken for 30,702, being 5,000l. more than was set down in the estimates. No explanation was given as to the reason for this alteration." d The Committee of Supply considers the money to be voted for the current year. Where the proposed grant is not part of the service of the current year-as, for instance, a permanent increase to judges' salaries—it is more regular to propose it in any other committee of the whole House than the Committee of Supply, provided the queen's recommendation is first signified, and on their report a Bill is ordered, or a clause inserted in a Bill already before the House." In Supply voted only for the cur money is rent year. The entire sums proposed to be granted for particular services are not always voted at the same time, but a certain sum is occasionally voted either on account' or as a vote of credit. Votes of credit are usually asked Votes of d Hans. Deb. vol. clxxi. p. 937. Ibid. vol. clxxii. p. 74. On another occasion, the government, without previous notice, reduced an intended vote by 33,000l. on account of circumstances which had transpired since the framing of the estimates. Ibid. vol. clxxiv. p. 830. Again, on May 9, 1864, the vote for Miscellaneous e Ibid. 1865, p. 91. f See May's Prac. ed. 1803, p. 577. credit. Votes' on account.' Surrender of unexpended balance. for on behalf of contemplated war expenditure, when it is necessary to have ample funds on hand, and impossible to determine beforehand the exact amount required.s Votes on account' have, until lately, been restricted to occasions of unexpected emergency, arising out of ministerial changes, when it has been desirable to place at the disposal of government funds for the public service without specifically appropriating the same to particular items of expenditure. In such cases it is usual to vote a portion only of the yearly estimates, and in the following session to enquire into the expenditure thereof, in order to ascertain that it was duly appropriated to legitimate purposes. When Parliament is about to be dissolved, upon a ministerial crisis, it is obviously improper to call upon the House of Commons to vote either the full amount or all the details of the proposed estimates, and so commit the country to the financial policy of ministers whose fate is about to be determined by a general election. The duty of finally deciding upon these estimates should be reserved for the new House of Commons. Meanwhile the supply of credit should be restricted to such an amount as may be absolutely required for the public service, until the re-assembling of Parliament, and the vote on account' should not be regarded as in any degree pledging the House to an approval of the entire estimates.1 6 Within the last few years, however, the practice of taking votes on account' has become more general.j This is owing to the gradual introduction of a new rule, requiring the government to surrender into the Exchequer, at the end of the year, all unexpended balances. This change of system was completely effected at the expiration of the financial year terminating on March 31, 1863, May's Pract. ed. 1863, p. 568. terial changes, in 1841, 1857, and 1859. See May's Prac. p. 567. J Smith's Parl. Rememb. 1860, p. 135. Hans. Deb. vol. clxiii. P. 1535. account.' when, for the first time in our financial history, all the Votes 'on services were required to surrender the balances standing to their credit.'* This arrangement has necessitated an application to Parliament, before the close of the first quarter of the new financial year, for a vote on account,' to meet the ordinary charges accruing therein. But this practice is not altogether free from objection. When such a vote is submitted, it is always for one large sum 'on account of certain Civil Services;' and the House is deprived of the opportunity of considering, adequately, the particular items of any vote included therein, until, on a future occasion, definitive votes are taken for the balances required for each particular service.' And when the completion of the vote is asked for, it has been urged that it may be late in the session, when the attendance of members is thin, and the disposition of the House adverse to minute investigation. But it is probable that the government will be able to meet this objection by a timely introduction of votes for balances. On March 27, 1863, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said, 'The practice to vote" on account" was entirely novel, because it was incident to a system which had been adopted for the purpose of giving effect to an important administrative improvement. It was necessary to prepare a list of Chanc. of Exch. in Hans. Deb. vol. clxx. p. 209. It appears, however, that, in regard to the Civil Service expenditure, the Treasury have resolved to retain any unexpended balances of 'the last year's votes,' to be used towards payments falling due in the first quarter of the next financial year. So much of the ordinary expenses of the quarter as cannot be met from this source is defrayed out of a vote on account,' which is taken early in the session. Hans. Deb. vol. clxxviii. p. 733. And this vote evidently includes the amount remaining over from the previous year; otherwise an unauthorised expenditure would be incurred. m See Ibid. p. 851. On July 10, 1863, on a vote for 3,781. to complete a large amount voted 'on account' for civil contingencies, an item of 6,000l. was objected to, and the government consented to its being omitted. But as they could not reduce a smaller sum by a larger, the vote for 3,781. was withdrawn altogether. Hans. Deb. vol. clxxii. p. 544. See also a discussion on votes on account,' in Hans. Deb. vol. clxxviii. p. 733, &c. m See Mr. A. Smith's motion, on June 29, 1861, deprecating this practice, and observations thereon in T. Smith's Parl. Rememb. 1861, p. 135. account.' 6 Votes 'on votes on which probable advances would be required before there was an opportunity of bringing them definitively before the House.' That was a practice to which recurrence would necessarily have to be had in future years.'" Again, on March 8, 1866, it was stated by the Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Childers) that it was understood that the vote on account' should involve no new principle, but should be only in conformity with the votes taken for similar services during the previous year; and that the rule had been never to take more than a fourth part of the vote for the year, except in certain particular cases of public emergency; so that the committee, in agreeing to votes on account,' would not pledge themselves to the estimates for the year, in anticipation of the opportunity to be afterwards afforded of voting them in detail.° Responsibility for grant of supply. While the government are solely responsible for the propriety and extent of any application to the House to grant supplies, the Commons are themselves responsible for voting the same. The House looks to the executive to state what is wanted, and to make known to them all that is necessary to satisfy them of the expediency of the grant. If the information communicated be not full and satisfactory, it is always in the power of the House to withhold the grant of any particular item until they are satisfied with the reasons given for it." It is the peculiar province of the government to decide upon the several amounts required to carry on the public service, and to maintain the credit of the country at home and abroad. None others are equally competent to form a judgment on this question. On the other hand, the Hans. Deb. vol. clxx. p. 108. On this occasion, through some casual inadvertence, it happened that later on at the same sitting of the committee in which votes on account' of certain services were taken, definitive votes of the balances themselves were passed through Committee of Supply. This gave rise to much angry comment. Ibid. vol. clxix. pp. 1953, 1967; vol. clxx. pp. 105–109. • Ibid. vol. clxxxi. p. 1780; and see Ibid. vol. clxxviii. p. 740. P See Smith's Parl. Rememb. 1862, p. 111. |