§ 31. Mr. HENDERSON STEWARTasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if his attention has been called to the case of two men who were recently fined at Portsmouth £74,709 for smuggling 4,463 lb. of tobacco; and whether, as the maximum alternative sentence is six months' imprisonment, he will take steps to strengthen the law as regards penal-
| — | 1929. | 1930. | 1931. | 1932. | 1933. |
| Number of cases in which prosecutions were undertaken under Section 7 of the Bankruptcy Act, 1926, for failure to keep proper books of account or in which a charge under that Section was included: | |||||
| Prosecutions | 19 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 14 |
| Convictions | 16 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 12 |
| Number of prosecutions ordered for misdemeanours under the Bankruptcy Acts on reports lodged by Official Receivers. | 40 | 46 | 31 | 40 | 45 |