§ 80. Mr. R. RICHARDSONasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether an Ordinance entitled the Seditious Publications Ordinance has been passed in the Legislative Council of 2008 Grenada, and has been transmitted to the Colonial Office with a view to its receiving the Royal Assent; whether, among other things, this Ordinance will make it an offence punishable with two years' imprisonment and a heavy fine to publish anything with the intention to misrepresent the motives or intentions of the Government or to excite dislike or discontent; whether the Ordinance gives the Governor the power to prohibit the importation of any book or periodical into the island; whether the Ordinance gives the power to judges and magistrates, sitting not in open court but in chambers, to make an ex parte order suspending any newspaper published in the island for a period of 12 months; and whether the Government will state what the reason is for the introduction of this legislation and will see that the Royal Assent is withheld in order that the mater may be inquired into and discussed by this House?
Colonel WILSON (for Lieut.-Colonel Amery)The position is as stated in the question. The chief object of the Ordinance is to prevent the introduction of seditious matter into the colony from abroad. The provisions of the Ordinance will be carefully considered before any advice is tendered to His Majesty in regard to it, but no such undertaking as that suggested in the last part of the question can be given.