§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."
§ MR. CALDWELL (Lanarkshire, Mid.)explained that the Bill simply imposed on the Isle of Man the extra duties imposed upon this country by the Budget Bill. The Isle of Man Government, instead of paying the extra duties, put the money into their own pockets for their own administrative purposes. He thought it 1051 was necessary that he should explain the object of this Bill
§ MR. SOARES (Devonshire, Barnstaple)said he should like a little explanation of this Bill. The Bill proposed additional duties on tobacco, tea, and spirits imported into the Isle of Man, and said that they should continue to be charged, levied, and paid as from August 1st, 1905, until August 1st, 1906. It was clear that this Bill could not be passed through all its stages before August 1st. In case tea, tobacco, and spirits were imported into the Isle of Man before this Bill was passed, could the duties under this Bill be imposed?
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY(Mr. VICTOR CAVENDISH, Derbshire, W. said the duties were imposed by the Isle of Man Legislative Assembly, but it was necessary that they should be confirmed by the passing of this Act.
MAJOR SEELY (Isle of Wight)asked if it was a fact that the differentiation between stripped and unstripped tobacco in this country was not applied to the Isle of Man If that were so he thought it demanded some attention. If this differentiation was a good thing for this country why should it not also apply to the Isle of Man? He hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have some explanation to offer.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN, Worcestershire, E.)said they did not impose all their duties upon the Isle of Man. The Legislative Assembly proposed the duties, but the Government here had to either confirm or disallow them. They were not in the habit of taking the initiative of imposing new duties unless the Legislative Assembly of the Isle of Man had previously passed them, and had asked them to con- 1052 firm those duties. The reason why the differentiation in regard to stripped and unstripped tobacco had not been applied to the Isle of Man was probably because they would not be affected by it.