§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELLasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether, having regard to recent disclosures in the Courts of Law, before a Committee of this House, and otherwise, Her Majesty's Government propose to take any steps to protect the investing public against the fraudulent practices by which prices in the money market are rigged, protective rules are defeated by fictitious allotments and sales, and Companies are floated and managed by professional promoters through directors having little or no real stake in them?
MR. ASSHETON CROSSIt is to be hoped the investing public will themselves be more careful in future than they have hitherto been. However, I should be glad to see the law made stronger in the direction indicated by the hon. Member, and with that view I have submitted the question to those 811 most competent to advise me. Should their recommendation be favourable, a Bill on the subject will no doubt be introduced.
§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELLgave Notice that he would take the earliest opportunity of proposing the following Resolution, which he hoped would strengthen the hands of Her Majesty's Government:—
That, in the opinion of this House, the law and the criminal procedure should be adapted to deal adequately with the forms of fraud now prevalent. The failure of great limited companies and the collapse of other financial enterprises, causing loss to large numbers of the public, should be made the subject of judicial inquisition, as in the case of shipwrecks and corrupt elections, and all persons found on such inquiry to have acted fraudulently should be prosecuted by a public authority.