CUSTOMS (EXPORTATION PROHIBITION) BILL. (Hansard, 27 August 1914)

§ LORD WIMBORNE

My Lords, this is also an emergency Bill. Its object is to extend the prohibition which the Board of Trade may impose under Section 8 of the Customs and Inland Revenue Act, 1879. The Bill provides that Section 8 of the Act of 1879, which enables the exportation of certain articles to be prohibited, shall have effect, whilst a state of war in which His Majesty is engaged exists, as if in add- 540 tion to the articles therein mentioned there were included all other articles of every description. By Clause 2 any Proclamation or Order in Council made under the said section as so amended may, whilst a state of war exists, be varied or added to by an Order made by the Lords of the Council on the recommendation of the Board of Trade.

By this Bill the Board of Trade will have power to prohibit during the war the exportation of any article which they think in the public interest should not be exported. It is also provided that the Privy Council should be able to make alterations without the signature of the King; this is to enable any small variation, which the Board may find to be desirable, to be carried through with as little formality as possible. We have had several instances of the undesirability of the free export of articles being permitted, as is normally the case, and I think many instances will occur to your Lordships where it would be very undesirable for this country to be deprived at the present time, owing to the tempting prices which might prevail elsewhere, of commodities which may be as necessary to the welfare of this country as any other sinews of war. I can assure your Lordships that in utilising these powers the Board of Trade will have the greatest regard to legitimate trading interests. They will use the powers very sparingly, and only where they are convinced that it is in the public interest that the prohibition should be enforced.