§ MR. KIMBER (Wandsworth)asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade, Whether the attention of Her Majesty's Government has been directed to the fact that whereas, at the Colonial Exhibition, Indian gold and silver plate was permitted to be sold without the compulsory obligation of assay and hallmarking, that permission was denied to Colonial exhibitors; and, whether Her Majesty's Government are prepared to extend the same facilities for trading in gold and silver plate to Her Majesty's Colonial subjects as are enjoyed by Her Majesty's Indian subjects, by abolishing the practice of compulsory hall-marking?
§ THE SECRETARY (Baron HENRY DE WORMS) (Liverpool, East Toxteth)At the recent Exhibition at South Kensington the same regulations were applied to gold and silver plate as were applied to plate sent from India, the Regulations being those to be found in the Revenue Act, 1884, by which foreign plate which, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Customs, may be properly described as hand-chased, inlaid, bronzed, or filigree work, is exempted from assay and hall-marking. The plate sent to the Exhibition, and which was not found by the Customs officers to come under the above description, could not be legally exempted. The same facilities for trading in gold and silver were so far equally extended to the Colonies and India.