§ MR. J. M. ROBERTSON (Northumberland, Tyneside)To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he can state the nature of the powers entrusted to Customs officers as regards the examination of foreign books in the luggage of passengers landing at British ports from the Continent and as regards the seizure of the same; and whether it lies in the individual discretion of such officers to pronounce a given, book fit or unfit for importation, or whether any and what code of criticism is officially supplied to them for application to the problem.
(Answered by Mr. Hobhouse.) Under Section 42 of the Customs Consolidation Act, 1876, books in regard to which notice has been given that a copyright therein subsists in the United Kingdom and indecent books are prohibited to be imported. Any books observed by Customs officers, in the course of the examination of passengers' baggage, which appear to fall within these two categories are detained and submitted to the Board of Customs for their directions.