§ MR. HENNIKER HEATON (Canterbury)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, What are the difficulties which prevent his laying upon the Table of the House, the Returns asked for showing the number of convictions for breaches of the Licensing Laws during the years 1883, 1884, and 1885; the number of licences granted for houses, the registered owners of which are brewers, distillers, or holders of wholesale licences for the sale of wines, spirits, or beer, and other information of a similar character of which notice has been given him?
THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. CHILDERS) (Edinburgh, S.)In reply to the hon. Member, I have to say that the reason why I should not feel justified in agreeing to this Return is that owing to the great variety of detailed information which would have to be collected from every part of the country, the result obtained would not, in my opinion, justify the necessary expenditure of time and money. The hon. Member is, I believe, aware that a part of the information he desires is to be found in the published volumes of judicial statistics.