§ MR. ROBY (Lancashire, S.E., Eccles)I beg to put to the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs a question of which I have given the Under Secretary for India private notice, and which I believe the right hon. Gentleman is pre-pared to answer. I wish to ask whether, under the Merchandise Marks Act, 1889, it is a criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment or fine, for any person to sell, or expose for sale, sewing cotton with a false description of the number of yards applied thereto, unless he can prove his action to be innocent in the matter, and gives information as to the person from whom he obtained the goods; and whether, if so, the Government will take steps to make this known to dealers in India, and to give aid in the detection and punishment of offenders under this Act?
§ *SIR J. FERGUSSONMy right hon. Friend has requested me to answer the question. It would be a criminal offence, under the Indian Merchandise Marks Act, punishable with fine and imprisonment, for any person to sell, or expose for sale, sewing cotton bearing a false description of the number of yards for sale, unless he can prove his action to be innocent, and gives information as to the person from whom he obtained the goods. The Government of India has taken every step to make the law known to all dealers, and there seems to be no necessity for further measures of publicity. The Government of India is always ready to give all the help it can in enforcing the provisions of the Act.