§ *MR. SYDNEY GEDGE (Walsall), addressing Mr. Speaker on a point of Order, said that a few days ago he presented a petition from the Mayor, Corporation, and Burgesses of Walsall in reference to a matter in which they were interested, and it had just been returned to him by the Committee with an intimation that it could not be received on the ground that it was neither written nor lithographed, but printed, thereby infringing the Rule of the House relating to petitions. The fact was that the petition was typewritten, as was the case of so many documents, legal and otherwise, and he desired to know whether he must return the document to the petitioners or whether it ought not to be received in the form in which it now stood?
§ *MR. SPEAKERThe Rule of the House which requires that a petition shall be in writing and not printed was made long before typewriting was known, and therefore contains no reference to typewritng. I am bound to say that the document in question which has been handed to me is in print, and therefore is not in conformity with the Rule. It is quite possible that the House may be disposed to alter the Rule, but as long as it stands it must be conformed to. In my view, typewriting is in the nature of printing, and not of writing.
§ *MR. GEDGEasked whether the petition must be returned to the petitioners in order that they might comply with time requirements of the Rule?
§ *MR. SPEAKERThe petitioners must be informed of the Order of the House in the matter. The Rule binds the House itself as well as the Committees on public petitions.
§ *MR. GEDGEsaid that he was much obliged to the right hon. Gentleman. He begged to give notice that he would take the earliest opportunity of moving that the Rule be altered, and that typewritten or type printed petitions be received.