§ MR. J. LOWTHERsaid, he had given Notice of a Motion for Copies of the List of all Shareholders in the Suez Canal Company, whose shares had been registered up to the 20th day of July, 1883; and of those Shareholders whose names were deposited at the offices of the Company, prior to the last general meeting, together with the number of Shares so registered or deposited by each of such Shareholders. As he saw that a hostile Amendment had been put down by a Member of the Government, he wished to ask the Chancellor of the 305 Exchequer whether he had any objection to give the Return?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)Sir, I unfortunately had no Notice of the Question, or I would have explained in detail the difficulty of giving the Return. The fact is that it is not possible to obtain the information in the shape in which the right hon. Gentleman has asked for it, and I have suggested to him au amended form of the Return.
§ MR. J. LOWTHERsaid, the Return which the right hon. Gentleman has offered would be a totally different Return, and would not give the public the information they desired to obtain. If the right hon. Gentleman would assure him that he was unable to procure the information for him he would do his best to obtain the information for the right hon. Gentleman.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)The part of the Return to which the right hon. Gentleman refers is never given to the public. It can be obtained by an individual shareholder, but only for personal and private use. That is the information which I have obtained from the Company. Personally, I have no objection whatever to the information being published; but it could not be properly made public in accordance with the rules of the Company.
§ MR. J. LOWTHERAm I to understand that it is in the power of any shareholder to obtain a copy of this document, and that the British taxpayers, who hold £4,000,000 of Shares, are not to have the same advantage as any other shareholder?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)Sir, I have informed the right hon. Gentleman that it is in the power of any shareholder to obtain a list of the very small proportion of shareholders who deposit their Shares. But it is a rule of the Company that the list should not be published. If, therefore, we apply for it we should be told—"Here is the list, but it is not to be published." That is the rule of the Company, which I cannot break under any circumstances. I may say, moreover, that the information would be entirely delusive, inasmuch as the shareholders do not deposit the whole of their Shares, but only a sufficient number to qualify themselves.
§ MR. J. LOWTHERgave Notice that he would take an early opportunity of calling the attention of the House to the subject.