§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERI beg, Sir, to give notice that, finding it will be more regular that a proposal relating to the Customs' Duties on Paper should not be placed in a Bill without a preliminary Resolution, I purpose, with the permission of the House, taking that preliminary Resolution in Committee of Ways and Means to-morrow. I would suggest to the hon. Memberfor Dungarvan 1649 (Mr. Maguire), if he wishes to raise a question on the subject, that a convenient opportunity for doing so would be afforded when I subsequently propose to insert that Resolution in the Financial Bill, which I shall do when the Bill goes into Committee.
§ MR. MAGUIREsaid, he wished, if he were not out of order, to state the reason why he could not comply with that request.
§ MR. SPEAKERintimated that such a course would be irregular.
§ MR. NEWDEGATEsaid, he wished to put a question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer as to the statement he had recently made. Was the House to understand that the Bill to be introduced with reference to the changes which were proposed to be made by the Government, would include the changes in the Customs, Excise, and Stamp Duties; would it include the changes in all the branches of the Revenue in one Bill, because he believed that was a proceeding almost unprecedented? He wished to know whether all these changes were to be introduced in one Bill?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, I do not know whether I am to be permitted to answer the question or observation of the hon. Member for North Warwickshire. I beg, however, to give the observation an emphatic and decided, but polite, denial. The intention of the Government is to include the principal and purely financial proposals in one Bill.
§ LORD JOHN MANNERSI wish, Sir, to ask the right hon. Gentleman, since he has heard the refusal of the hon. Member for Dungarvan to postpone his Motion, and seeing that there are fourteen Orders of the Day to be disposed of before we go into Committee of Ways and Means to-morrow, whether he means to take a Committee of Ways and Means to-morrow?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, I wish to be governed by the convenience of the House. If there is time to-morrow, after the Motions have been disposed of, we should wish to go into Committee of Ways and Means, but, of course, we desire to act with the general concurrence of the House.
§ MR. MAGUIREsaid, he wished to know whether the right hon. Gentleman would consent to the appointment of a Select Committee on the Customs' Duty on Paper before he brought the matter forward for the formal decision of the House?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERAs I understand the question, Sir, it is not one of an inquiry into the effect of foreign legislation on the interests of our own Papermakers, but whether we shall consent to abolish the Excise Duty on Paper, and constitute anew, by Act of Parliament, a very high protective duty on that article? Without the slightest inten-to obstruct any Parliamentary inquiry, we certainly could not consent to any proposal of that kind.