§ MR. MITCHELLsaid, he would beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether it is the intention of the Government to persevere in exacting, under the new Stamp Act, a Stamp Duty on every successive endorsement of Delivery Orders? The Dock Companies, and the principal wharfingers insisted upon a new stamp for every fresh indorsement; so that in the case of some articles in which there was much speculation the tax might amount to as much as 10d. or 20d. In the commonest cases it would be at least 3d., whereas the understanding of Parliament when it agreed to the measure was that it should be only a 1d. It seemed doubtful whether the Dock Companies and wharfingers were acting under positive instructions received from the Department of Inland Revenue, and he was therefore anxious to have the point cleared up?
§ MR. HUBBARDsaid, he also wished to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether, in the event of Dock Warrants or Delivery Orders being impressed with the required Stamp, it can become necessary to affix other Stamps upon their transfer from hand to hand, with or without endorsement, prior to their being acted upon?
MR. T. BARINGsaid, he understood the Board of Inland Revenue had intimated that there was to be not only a charge of 3d. on the dock warrants, but a charge of 3d. on weigh notes also. Now, as these two documents represented the same property that would be a charge of 6d. instead of 3d. He wished therefore to know how the matter really stood.