§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ LORD SUDELEY, in moving that the Bill be now read a second time, stated that the object of the Bill was to carry out certain amendments in the law relating to the Customs, Inland Revenue, and Audit of Public Accounts. Under Clause 2, ships which had partially discharged cargo at one British port might fill up cargo for another. This amendment was introduced in order to carry out the strongly expressed wishes of Chambers of Shipping. By Clause 4, facilities were given for the importation of Eastern plate which was below Hallmarking standard, but being of the nature of "fancy goods." Clause 6 enabled the simplification of parish boundaries to be carried on, so that the Imperial taxation areas follow the changes of local boundaries. Clause 12 would enable Railway Companies to take out licences to sell tobacco in railway carriages. It appeared that several Railway Companies had taken up this matter, and there was a Company formed, or contemplated, with a patent for a machine to be fixed in smoking carriages, which gave a cigarette if 1d. were dropped in. The remaining clauses were questions of account, and more or less formal.
§ Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a."—(The Lord Sudeley.)
§ Motion agreed to; Bill read 2a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House To-morrow.