HC Deb 12 March 1918 vol 104 cc284-6

Read a second time.

Resolved, That this House will immediately resolve itself into the Committee on the Bill. —[Mr. A. Samuels.]

Bill accordingly considered in Committee, and reported, without Amendment; read the third time, and passed.

The remaining Orders were read, and postponed.

Whereupon Mr. Deputy-Speaker, pursuant to the Order of the House of the 13th February, proposed the Question, "That this House do now adjourn."

Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALD

Perhaps the House will allow me one minute to deal with a matter which arises out of the report of a speech that I made in this House and which appears in the OFFICIAL REPORT of 27th February. I am there reported to have stated— He (that is Mr. Litvinoff) was once approached by a firm of publishers, Messrs. Williams and Norgate, and was persuaded to call himself Harrison Litvinoff, but he was never known as Mr. Harrison.— [OFFICIAL REPORT, 27th February, 1918, col. 1481, Vol. 103.] The sentence as it stands is rather a loose one, and is capable of two meanings, one of which I had no intention of implying, namely, that haying been approached by this firm of publishers, the firm asked Mr. Litvinoff to change his name. I never had that in my mind. I knew the facts, as they were reported to me, and what I meant to convey to this House was that owing to his connection with this firm he was persuaded to change his name. I find, unfortunately, that, as reported, the other meaning can also attach to the words, and the firm have approached me on the subject. I may say, before I received the firm's letter, that I had actually made a correction in the OFFICIAL REPORT, and it was in the post. Mr. Speaker informed me, however, that, as the matter had been sent to the newspaper, he thought it better, instead of making the correction in the OFFICIAL REPORT, that I should explain it here, and I have done so. All that I intended to convey was that owing to his connection with this publishing firm he was advised by certain friends to change his name. That is what I intended to say, and I hope that record will now make my meaning perfectly clear.

Question put, and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at Twenty-two minutes past Nine o'clock.