§ [SECOND READING.]
§ Order of the day for the Second Reading read.
§ THE EARL OF GRANARDMy Lords, the necessity for this Bill has been brought about in a rather curious way. According to the Customs Act, 1842, all foreign plate imported into this country must be of the same standard as our own plate and must be hall-marked. For some reason the customs authorities have always considered that watch cases did not come within the meaning of the Act, and consequently up to the present time they have always been exempted from assay and marking. The result is that watch cases of all kinds have been brought into this country, and cases have been sold as gold and silver which were nothing of the sort. The Court of Appeal the other day ruled that watch cases were plate within the meaning of the Act, and the object of this Bill is to exempt from assay and hall-marking all watch cases which are at present in stock over here and which came into this country before 1st June last.
§ Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a"—;(The Earl of Granard.)
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House to-morrow.