MR, LUCASsaid, he begged to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government had arrived at any decision in reference to the newspaper stamp question with the view of carrying out the declared opinion of that House?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, as he understood the question put by the hon. Gentleman, it was, whether the Government at the present time intended to bring in any Bill to give effect to the Resolution which was come to by that House upon the Motion of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Manchester (Mr. Milner Gibson). The Government were not prepared to bring in such a Bill; and it would perhaps save the hon. Gentleman some trouble if he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) now stated that, when they were prepared to do so, the Government would take care to give due notice of their intentions.
§ MR. MILNER GIBSONsaid, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had just given an answer to a question from an hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Lucas) which he could not understand, and which did not correspond with the reply given to a similar question on a former day. If he correctly understood the right hon. Gentleman, he stated that the question of the newspaper stamp was not under the consideration of the Government with a view to legislation, and that the Government had decided to set at nought the Resolution of that House. ["No, no!"] He certainly understood the answer of the right hon. Gentleman to be, that the question was not tinder consideration, and that when it was he would give notice to the House. Now, what the right hon. Gentleman stated upon a former occasion was, not only that the question 883 was under consideration, but that it was under special consideration. It was only because he had been led to believe that the Government would undertake the matter that he had been induced not to proceed with it. He wished to ask the right hon. Gentleman if the House were to understand from the answer just given that Government had no intention of legislating upon the subject.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, he was quite sure from what the right hon. Gentleman had just stated, that he had not heard the answer given to the question of the hon. Member for Meath, or he could not by any possibility have placed the construction upon it which he had done. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had not retracted or qualified one syllable of what he said on a former occasion. What he then stated was, that the Government had requested the Attorney General to take the matter into consideration, with a view to ascertain the state of the law. He was asked to-day if the Government had come to any decision upon the subject, and, in answer, he stated that they had not, and that when they did due notice would be given to the House.