§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the reduction in revenue on spirits taken out of bond in Great Britain and Ireland during the four months May to August this year as compared with the same period last year; and whether he would state the quantity of spirits taken out of bond for the seven months, September, 1908, to March, 1909, and the quantity which would require to be taken out during the corresponding seven months of 1909–10 to produce revenue which, added to the preceding four months' yield, would give an amount equal to the revenue derived from duty on spirits in the corresponding eleven months of 1908–9, plus the estimated increase of revenue from the new duty?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe reduction in the revenue from spirits in the four months May to August, 1909, as compared with May to August, 1908, was £2,489,000. The quantity of spirits on which duty was paid for the seven months September, 1908, to March, 1909, was 24,574,000 gallons. The quantity which would require to be cleared for the seven months from September, 1909, to March, 1910, in order to make the spirit revenue for the last eleven months of 1909–10 exceed that for the corresponding period of 1908–9 by the estimated increase of revenue from the new duty, i,e., £1,600,000, would be about 23,680,000 gallons.