§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
THE EARL OF LONGFORD, in moving the second reading of this Bill, said, that its object was to obtain greater protection for military stores, and to lessen the difficulty which was experienced in obtaining convictions against thieves and receivers of this kind of Government property.
EARL DE GREYcould not help expressing some doubts as to whether the legislation now proposed was in harmony with the circumstances of the times. He was asked while at the War Office to bring in a similar Bill, but he declined to do so, because when the public once got the idea that private traders might have goods of this description in their possession, off which the Government marks had been imperfectly obliterated, it would be very difficult to obtain convictions under such special provisions. In former days the marks were a great protection against Government property being stolen; but now, in consequence of change of patterns and from other circumstances, sales of Government stores were common; and he very much doubted whether legislation of the kind proposed would not, without effecting much good in the direction intended, at the same time render the sale of old and useless Government stores almost impossible.
§ Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Monday next.