§ MR. FELL (Great Yarmouth)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware 1612 that British manufacturers of ammunition are placed at a disadvantage compared with German in consequence of the latter being allowed to sell in this country cartridges containing a powerful priming composition which English manufacturers are only allowed to use under regulations of the Home Office, which render business on a commercial scale impracticable; and whether he can alter such regulations or prevent the introduction of such foreign cartridges under the special circumstances prevailing.
§ MR. GLADSTONESafety cartridges, that is, cartridges so closed that the explosion of one cannot spread to another, are allowed to be imported to this country without licence, as there is no danger in their conveyance or storage; but their manufacture is dangerous, and is therefore subject to regulations. These regulations have been framed with much care, and are not generally of such a character as to stand in the way of the manufacture of safety cartridges on a commercial scale; but if any manufacturer can show that they bear hardly on any particular class of cartridge, I shall be glad to consider, after inquiry by the Explosives Department, whether it is possible, consistently with the safety of the workpeople, to allow any relaxation of the existing requirements.