§ MR. GIBB (Middlesex, Harrow)To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the generally recognised mark of the lion, as denoting silver of a certain standard, he will consider the advisability of restoring the right of foreign manufactured plate of the standard quality to be stamped with the lion, together with a distinctive word, such as imported or foreign, to denote that the article is of foreign manufacture, and so get rid of the protection afforded by the Order in Council, made the 24th October, 1904, to the home-made acticle, by the exclusive right to the use of the lion mark.
(Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) Under the Hallmarking of Foreign Plate Act,
| Year ended 31st March. | In Local Prisons. | In Convict Prisons. |
| Deaths per 1,000 of the average prison population. | Deaths per 1,000 of the average prison population. | |
| 1896 | 6.3 | 8.0 |
| 1897 | 7.4 | 9.7 |
| 1898 | 5.6 | 6.7 |
| 1899 | 5.9 | 9.1 |
| 1900 | 8.2 | 11.8 |
| 1901 | 6.0 | 10.7 |
| 1902 | 6.8 | 7.0 |
| 1903 | 5.4 | 8.9 |
| 1904 | 5.3 | 3.9 |
| 1905 | 5.3 | 7.2 |
§ 1904, foreign plate brought to an assay office in the United Kingdom has to be so marked as to readily distinguish such plate from plate wrought or made within the Kingdom. In fixing the marks to be adopted by the different assay offices, regard was had to the fact that it is impracticable to stamp such words as those suggested by my hon. friend on small wares. The standard value of silver plate is indicated by numerals stamped thereon, and is easily recognisable.