§ Sections 8 and 9 of The Finance Act, 1918, and the Third Schedule to that Act are hereby repealed.—[Lieut.-Commander Ken-worthy.]
§ Brought up, and read the First time.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYI beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."
This is a proposal to repeal the Customs and Excise Duties on sugar. It is a tax which bears very hardly on the poor people.
§ The DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN (Sir E. Cornwall)It was understood that this question would not be debated at length.
§ Captain W. BENNThat is so, but I understood that we should be permitted just to state our reasons, and then, as far as we are concerned, there will be no
§ further Debate after the speech of the Mover.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYI was not aware that there was any under standing of that nature. We consider that this tax bears very heavily on the poor. Sugar is a food and a necessity for children, and it is becoming more and more a necessity. This tax now places 2¾d. upon every pound of sugar, whereas before the War it was only ¼d. per pound, and the cost of sugar now is from 1s. 2d. to 1s. 4d. per pound. The Sugar Duties bring in about £30,000,000, which will, I suppose, pay about two-thirds of our expenditure this year in Mesopotamia. We feel that we can save the poor the amount of this tax by adopting a different policy, and that is why I am putting forward this new Clause.
§ Question put, "That the Clause be read a Second time."
§ The Committee divided: Ayes, 40; Noes, 155.
2809| Division No. 222.] | AYES. | [2.20 p.m. |
| Barnes, Major H. (Newcastle, E.) | Guest, J. (York, W. R., Hemsworth) | Rose, Frank H. |
| Benn, Captain Wedgwood (Leith) | Hallas, Eldred | Sexton, James |
| Bowerman, Rt. Hon. Charles W. | Hayday, Arthur | Short, Alfred (Wednesbury) |
| Brace, Rt. Hon. William | Johnstone, Joseph | Sitch, Charles H. |
| Briant, Frank | Kellaway, Rt. Hon. Fredk. George | Spencer, George A. |
| Brown, James (Ayr and Bute) | Kenworthy, Lieut.-Commander J. M. | Waterson, A. E. |
| Carter, W. (Nottingham, Mansfield) | Macdonald, Rt. Hon. John Murray | White, Charles F. (Derby, Western) |
| Clynes, Rt. Hon. J. R. | Maclean, Neil (Glasgow, Govan) | Wignall, James |
| Davison, J. E. (Smethwick) | Mills, John Edmund | Williams, Aneurin (Durham, Consett) |
| Edwards, C. (Monmouth, Bedwellty) | Morgan, Major D. Watts | Wood, Major M. M. (Aberdeen, C.) |
| Edwards, John H. (Glam., Reath) | Murray, Dr. D. (Inverness & Ross) | |
| Galbraith, Samuel | O'Grady, Captain James | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.— |
| Glanville, Harold James | Parkinson, John Allen (Wigan) | Mr. G. Thorne and Mr. Tyson Wilson. |
| Griffiths, T. (Monmouth, Pontypool) | Raffan, Peter Wilson | |
| Grundy, T. W. | Robertson, John | |
| NOES. | ||
| Adair, Rear-Admiral Thomas B. S. | Breese, Major Charles E. | Colvin, Brig.-General Richard Beale |
| Agg-Gardner, Sir James Tynte | Bridgeman, William Clive | Conway, Sir W. Martin |
| Amery, Lieut.-Col. Leopold C. M. S. | Briggs, Harold | Cowan, D. M. (Scottish Universities) |
| Atkey, A. R. | Bruton, Sir James | Craig, Colonel Sir J. (Down, Mid) |
| Baird, Sir John Lawrence | Buchanan, Lieut.-Colonel A. L. H. | Craik, Rt. Hon. Sir Henry |
| Baldwin, Rt. Hon. Stanley | Bull, Rt. Hon. Sir William James | Curzon, Commander Viscount |
| Barnes Rt. Hon. G. (Glas., Gorbals) | Burn, Col. C. R. (Devon, Torquay) | Davies, Thomas (Cirencester) |
| Barnston, Major Harry | Butcher, Sir John George | Dawes, James Arthur |
| Benn, Sir A. S. (Plymouth, Drake) | Campion, Lieut.-Colonel W. R. | Dockrell, Sir Maurice |
| Benn, Capt. Sir I. H., Bart.(Gr'nw'h) | Casey, T. W. | Edgar, Clifford B. |
| Betterton, Henry B. | Cautley, Henry S. | Edge, Captain William |
| Birchall, Major J. Dearman | Chadwick, Sir Robert | Edwards, Major J.(Aberavon) |
| Blair, Reginald | Chamberlain, Rt. Hn. J. A.(Birm.,W.) | Elliot, Capt. Walter E. (Lanark) |
| Borwick, Major G. O. | Clay, Lieut.-Colonel H. H. Spender | Eyres-Monsell, Commander B. M. |
| Boscawen, Rt. Hon. Sir A. Griffith- | Coates, Major Sir Edward F. | Fell, Sir Arthur |
| Bowyer, Captain G. E. W. | Coats, Sir Stuart | Fisher, Rt. Hon. Herbert A. L. |
| Brassey, Major H. L. C. | Cobb, Sir Cyril | Flannery, Sir James Fortescue |
| Ford, Patrick Johnston | Lloyd-Greame, Major Sir P. | Sanders, Colonel Sir Robert A. |
| Foxcroft, Captain Charles Talbot | Locker-Lampson, G. (Wood Green) | Scott, A. M. (Glasgow, Bridgeton) |
| Fraser, Major Sir Keith | Locker-Lampson, Com. O. (H'tingd'n) | Shortt, Rt. Hon E. (N'castle-on-T.) |
| Ganzoni, Captain Francis John C. | Lorden, John William | Sprot, Colonel Sir Alexander |
| Gibbs, Colonel George Abraham | Loseby, Captain C. E. | Stanley, Major H. G. (Preston) |
| Gilmour, Lieut.-Colonel John | Lyle, C. E. Leonard | Steel, Major S. Strang |
| Grant, James A. | M'Curdy, Rt. Hon. C. A. | Stewart, Gershom |
| Green, Albert (Derby) | M'Donald, Dr. Bouverie F. P. | Sturrock, J. Leng |
| Green, Joseph F. (Leicester, W.) | Mackinder, Sir H. J. (Camlachie) | Sugden, W. H. |
| Greenwood, William (Stockport) | McLaren, Robert (Lanark, Northern) | Surtees, Brigadier-General H. C. |
| Greig, Colonel James William | M'Lean, Lieut.-Col. Charles W. W. | Sutherland, Sir William |
| Guinness, Lieut.-Col. Hon W. E. | Macleod, J. Mackintosh | Talbot, G. A. (Hemel Hempstead) |
| Hacking, Captain Douglas H. | Macnamara, Rt. Hon. Dr. T. J. | Taylor, J. |
| Harmsworth, C. B. (Bedford, Luton) | McNeill, Ronald (Kent, Canterbury) | Terrell, George (Wilts, Chippenham) |
| Henderson, Major V. L. (Tradeston) | Macquisten, F. A. | Thomson, F. C. (Aberdeen, South) |
| Herbert, Hon. A. (Somerset, Yeovil) | Mitchell, William Lane | Thorpe, Captain John Henry |
| Herbert Dennis (Hertford, Watford) | Molson, Major John Elsdale | Ward, Col. L. (Kingston-upon-Hull) |
| Hewart, Rt. Hon. Sir Gordon | Montagu, Rt. Hon. E. S. | Waring, Major Walter |
| Hinds, John | Moore, Major-General Sir Newton J. | Watson, Captain John Bertrand. |
| Hoare, Lieut.-Colonel Sir S. J. G. | Morrison-Bell, Major A. E. | Whitla, Sir William |
| Hope, James F. (Sheffield, Central) | Mount, William Arthur | Wild, Sir Ernest Edward |
| Hope, Lt.-Col. Sir J. A. (Midlothian) | Murchison, C. K. | Williams, Lt.-Com. C. (Tavistock) |
| Hopkins, John W. W. | Neal, Arthur | Willoughby, Lieut.-Col. Hon. Claud |
| Howard, Major S. G. | Norton-Griffiths, Lieut.-Col. Sir John | Wills, Lieut.-Colonel Sir Gilbert |
| Hunter, General Sir A. (Lancaster) | Ormsby-Gore, Captain Hon. W. | Wilson, Colonel Leslie O. (Reading) |
| Hunter-Weston, Lieut.-Gen. Sir A. G. | Palmer, Major Godfrey Mark | Wilson, Lt.-Col. Sir M. (Bethnal Gn.) |
| Hurd, Percy A. | Perkins, Walter Frank | Wood, Hon. Edward F. L. (Ripon) |
| Hurst, Lieut.-Colonel Gerald B. | Philipps, Sir Owen C. (Chester, City) | Wood, Sir J. (Stalybridge & Hyde) |
| James, Lieut.-Colonel Hon. Cuthbert | Pinkham, Lieut.-Colonel Charles | Woolcock, William James U. |
| Jodrell, Neville Paul | Pollock, Sir Ernest M. | Young, Lieut.-Com. E. H. (Norwich) |
| Jones, Sir Evan (Pembroke) | Pownall, Lieut.-Colonel Assheton | Young, Sir Frederick W. (Swindon) |
| Jones, J. T. (Carmarthen, Lianelly) | Rees, Sir J. D. (Nottingham, East) | Young, W. (Perth & Kinross, Perth) |
| Jones, William Kennedy (Hornsey) | Remer, J. R. | |
| King, Commander Henry Douglas | Richardson, Alexander (Gravesend) | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.— |
| Law, Rt. Hon. A. B. (Glasgow, C.) | Robinson, Sir T. (Lancs., Stretford) | Lord E. Talbot and Mr. Dudley Ward. |
| Lloyd, George Butler | Samuel, A. M. (Surrey, Farnham) |