§ MR. FIELD) (Dublin, St. PatrickTo ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the depreciation in the prices of Consols and other Government and trust securities and the fluctuation in railway shares, he will consider the need of proposing similar legislative measures to prohibit bear sales and fictitious dealings in these and all other securities dealt with in the British stock exchanges, such as Leeman's Act of 1867 does with regard to joint stock bank shares; and whether, seeing that the French Government passed, in February, 1904, a similar law prohibiting such gambling operations in Russian bonds and stocks, and that the Belgian Parliament has at present under consideration a similar law with the object of preventing international fictitious dealings on their stock exchanges, he will suggest an international conference to be held to consider this matter.
(Answered by Mr. Austen Chamberlain.) I am not prepared to take any such action as the hon. Member suggests.