Show CHAMBERLAIN ACCUSED BRITISH OFFICIAL DEFENDS HIS RECORD Declares tho Attacks Made Upon Him Are Monstrous and Absurd Answers An-swers His Accusers in Commons London Dec 10In the House of I Commons today after some desultory i discussion Joseph Walton Radical I member for the Barnslcy division of West Riding of Yorkshire withdrew his amendment offered Friday last to the address and G C T Bartley Conservative Con-servative representing North Isllnjj ton moved an amendment to the address ad-dress asking the House to express regret re-gret at the fact that Lord Salisbury had recommended so many of his own I family to ofllces under tho Government I Oneflfth of the Cabinet membors Mr Bartley said were of the tame family fam-ily Sons would obey theli father and I sonsinlaw and nephews would yield j to the same Influence Such conditions I precluded an independent Inquiry Into the affairs In South Africa and were calculated to Impair gravely the cfll I clency of the public service and diminish dimin-ish the chances of reform In the system I of national defense The syimo cankerworm canker-worm of nepotism had entered the I army and navy and it WHS the general opinion that mon of the disasters in I South Africa were traceable to oillccrs who had obtained their commissions by famllv Influence When the Premiers nephew rose to reply the House was filled with expectation ex-pectation Mr Balfour said the unhappy unhap-py accident of birth ought not to be a bar to public service There was only one member of Lord Salisburys family in the present Government who was not In the list Mr Bai tley he added had not shown that the appointees complained o were incapable while the country at the recent election had shown confidence that the Premier would carry out with ability and integrity Integ-rity his thankless heartbreaking task I The amendment was lost by a vote of 230 to 128 Replying to Mr Ilealy a Nationalist who asked whether the IrishAmerican and Irish prisoners captured in the fights with the Boers could not be permitted I per-mitted to return to their homes J Powell TVlllIams Financial Secretary Powel W11ams to the War ofllcc in the late administration adminis-tration but now a plain member of the House of Commons representing South Birmingham said prisoners ol Irish nationality na-tionality could not be treated differently differ-ently from others D LloydGeorge Radical member for Carnavon district biought together a series of accusations against Mr Chamberlain Cham-berlain that hud been llgurlng In the newspapers and moved that no member mem-ber of the Government ought to have a direct or indirect Interest In concerns competing for Government contracts He pointed out that the Secretary of State for the Colonies hold GOO shares and other members of his family GOOO almros in the Birmingham trust which In turn Was a shareholder In the Tubes Limited making 10100 a your put of Government contracts Ho asserted also that Mr Chamberlain and his relatives rela-tives held shares worth 230000 to J50 contractors OQOln the Elliott Metal company tractors to lie I Admiralty and shares I valued at 250000 In Klnochs Dynamite company iontraclors to the War olllco After enumerating other companies in which the Chambcilalii family he as Mcited hud Interests Mr George declared de-clared that ho was not attacking the private character of the Minister but had raised the muter because1 this t case might bo used as a precedent latet to Justify occupation After various speeches for and against the resolution Mr Chamberlain Chamber-lain replied It Is my personal honor that is Involved lit this question he said and I think a hard as after twentyfive years of life In the full light of Parliament to have to standup up and explain that I am not a ticanda lous thief These attacks are monstrous mon-strous and absurd I took no notice of the charges during the election although al-though there had been a conspiracy oC Insinuation I had been charged with fattening on the profits of a war I had provoked Of all the companies mentioned I hold shares In two My relations intend in-tend to take legal proceedings and the public will see how these abominable charges will bo dealt with by the courts My relations arc all businessmen men and have had to make their own fortunes I come of a family which boasts nothing of distinguished birth or inherited wealth but has an unbroken record for nearly Iwo centuries of un etalned commercial Integrity Never during the whole course of my political career have I been asked to use my influence in-fluence to secure pecuniary gain I for myself or my own relations Proceeding to explain his connection with the two companies Mr Cham biirlaln said hl3 had Joined the Colombo company twentythree years ago Its shares had never been quoted on tie tock exchange The contracts to build huts for Boor prisoners in Ceylon was given to tile t Colombo company on re4 bponslbllliy of the local Govenmcnt I without any communication with himself him-self As fur a the Birmingham Trust w a concerned he said he knew nothing noth-ing whatever of Its investments although al-though he had recently ascertained that there was IL trifling Investment In the Tube Limited since his brother managed the business of that organization organiza-tion but the companys small business with the Admiralty had decreased |