Sir John Eldon Gorst was Solicitor-General in 1885-86, Under Secretary for India in 1886 to 1891, Financial Secretary to the Treasury in 1891-92, Deputy Chairman of Committees of the House of Commons in 1888 to 1891, and Vice-President of Council on Education in 1885 to 1902. He was a Member of the House of Commons in 1866 to 1868, and has been a member continuously since 1875. Since 1892 he has sat as representative of the University of Cambridge. Sir John Eldon Gorst was by no means unwilling to take his share of blame for the mismanagement in the various Departments of State arising out of the intervention of the House of Commons--under pressure from the constituencies, or organized groups in the constituencies--in the administrative details of the Departments of State. He said: "I have been as great a sinner as anyone in the days when I represented Chatham,[361] before I was a Member of the Government; I was perpetually urging the Secretary of the Admiralty for the time being to increase the expenditures at the dockyards"[362] [in the interest of the laborers in the dockyards and of the merchants and manufacturers who have raw materials to sell to the dockyards]. FOOTNOTES: [329] _Second Report of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the Civil Establishments_, 1888; Sir S. A. Blackwood, Secretary to the Post Office since 1880; q. 17,821 to 17,827. [330] _Hansard's Parliamentary Debates_, February 25, 1903, p. 803. [331] _Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments_, 1897, p. 19; q. 9,132 and following, Mr. J. S. Smith; and q. 12,366, Mr. H. Joyce, Third Secretary to the General Post Office. [332] _Hansard's Parliamentary Debates_, March 13, 1906. [333] _Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments_, 1897; Mr. Churchfield, Secretary Postmen's Federation; q. 10,994 and following; and Mr. J. C. Badcock, Controller London Postal Service; q. 11,585 to 11,589. [334] _Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments_, 1897; Mr. H. Joyce, Third Secretary to General Post Office; q. 12,316; and Mr. J. S. Smith; q. 9,063. [335] _Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments_, 1897; Mr. H. Joyce, Third Secretary General Post Office; q. 12,374; and Mr. J. S. Smith; q. 9,115. [336] _Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments_, 1897; Mr. H. Joyce, Third Secretary General Post Office; q. 12,356 to 12,360; and Mr. J. S. Smith, representative of the provincial postmen; q. 9,108. [337] _Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments_, 1897; q. 11,485 and following, and 9,187 and following. [338] _Hansard's Parliamentary Debates_, February 14, 1887, p. 1,399. [339] _Hansard's Parliamentary Debates_, February 24, 1888, p. 1,375.