§ MR. HORSFALLsaid, he wished to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether he intends to propose for the acceptance of the House, Nos. 11, 12, and 13 in the Customs Resolutions, and Nos. 1, 2, and 8 of the Ways and Means Resolutions; and, if so, whether he is prepared to state with what modifications he intends to propose them?
§ SIR FITZROY KELLYsaid, he would also beg to ask the right hon. Gentleman when he proposes to take the discussion with reference to the Drawback on Wine, and upon the Duty relating to Foreign Malt?
§ SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTEsaid, he wished, before the right hon. Gentleman answered these questions, to ask him when the Customs Bill will be in the hands of Members.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, the Customs Bill contained little or nothing beyond that to which the House in Committee had already assented. It would, however, be placed in the hands of Members as soon as possible, certainly before they were called upon to go into the discussion on the Resolutions. With respect to the time at which the discussion on the Malt Duty would be taken, he could only say that he did not know how he could make any particular arrangement on the subject. He did not think, he might add, that the question whether the Duty upon Foreign Malt should be 25s. instead of 26s., as the hon. and learned Gentleman opposite (Sir FitzRoy Kelly) proposed, was one which was likely to lead to any lengthened debate. So far as the drawback on Wine was concerned, he was perfectly ready to admit that those who supported the views of the hon. and learned Gentleman should be afforded the necessary opportunity to state their opinions on the matter, while it was, at the same time, desir- 107 able that the decision of the House with respect to it should not be postponed for many days. As the business of the House at present stood, there were, beside the subjects which were to come on that evening, the Repeal of the Paper Duty and one or two other questions—the Chinese, for instance, on which it was expedient that the opinion of the House should at as early a day as possible be taken. He hoped, however, that those matters would be disposed of sufficiently soon to admit of the discussion on the question of the drawback on Wine being entered upon next week, even though it should be necessary to effect that object that the House should submit to the inconvenience of a morning sitting. In answer to the questions of the hon. Member for Liverpool (Mr. Horsfall) he had to state that Resolutions Nos. 11, 12, and 13, which related to Registration Dues and Warehouse Charges, would be laid on the Table to-morrow in their amended form. Of the other three Resolutions to which the hon. Member referred, and which were to be moved in Committee of Ways and Means, the first had reference to the charge on Dock Warrants, and the second to Contract Notes, and he hoped to be able to lay those also as amended on the Table to-morrow. The 8th Resolution had reference to the exemption enjoyed by Building Societies, and the Resolution stood in a different category from the others, because the financial consideration was not the only one involved, but the question turned rather upon whether in the existing state of Building Societies the exemption ought to be continued. He was not prepared to state that any positive determination had been come to by the Government on the subject, as other more urgent matters had prevented their giving the necessary attention to its consideration. But he hoped to be able to give a positive answer in the course of a few days. In case also he should find it necessary to persevere with the Resolution as it stood, he would take care that ample time was allowed for its discussion.