§ The Attorney-Generalbegged to draw the attention of the House to a bill which had come down from the House of Lords touching the insertion of debtors schedules in newspapers. The bill was read a first time last night, and he proposed to take it through its remaining stages this evening. He was anxious that he should be permitted to do so, because he must say, that its object was to remedy a grievance of a very serious nature although he must observe, that a similar grievance had been allowed to exist for the last twelve years, and, so far as he could learn, without any complaint. He alluded to the provision which had been in existence under the Insolvent Debtors Act. The Imprisonment for Debt Bill required the schedules of debtors to be inserted in the newspapers, and restricted the amount to be demanded by the proprietors of newspapers to 3s. for each advertisement Now he could not 1313 see that Parliament had any right to deal with the columns of a newspaper any more than they had to dispose of the goods of any shopkeeper at certain prices. He thought, therefore, that the House would see the propriety of adopting this measure, and of giving the protection suggested to the proprietors of newspapers.
§ Bill read a second time.
§ On the motion that it be committed,
Mr. Aglionbysuggested, that it was highly impolitic to proceed so rapidly through the stages of such a bill as the present, when the benches of the House were so thinly occupied. The effect of the proposed law would be to impose a hardship upon debtors, because it might happen that they were unable to procure sufficient funds to pay for the insertion of the advertisement. He should suggest, therefore, that the present bill should be withdrawn, as little harm could be done during the recess to the newspapers, and that in the next Session a new measure should be introduced, providing for the adoption of such a price for the advertisements as would fully repay the newspaper proprietors, and would not seriously affect the position of the debtor.
§ Mr. Freshfieldsaid, that it was creditable to newspaper proprietors, that they should have so long permitted the grievance of which they complained to exist, without attempting to remedy it; but at the same time, he was of opinion, that it was not wise to press too severely upon debtors, or to leave them entirely at the mercy of those who could control the prices to be demanded for the advertisements required by law.
§ The Attorney-Generalthought, that, under the circumstances, it would be better to withdraw this bill, and he was the less scrupulous in doing so, because he thought, that the bill bore evident marks of its having been prepared with little care, and because he thought it would not be found to operate as beneficially as it was thought it would.
§ Bill withdrawn.