The Express.
London, England, 1855-05-12 00:00:00

surveyed i Lloyd's, and was found in ao "
ab, gegahmed In the first class for four years intaort 1860 she was again surveyed by Lloyd's, sad i. la
seemed slut, OT dipthong red, which was nest—haathe
Mass, Sr AI. It was stated by Messrs. Green tha,---„au
she was taken op the vessel was put inte the
She was also surveyed by the transport officers r,if
was taken up, which was indispensable, and the r,
the s lag officers was that she was in tli""
repair. When General Setherland's report
in, these officers wore called on for an ee
I`—iLlit
lion, and they seat in a report dated January, 1866'"'rr._
right Isom. gentleman then read the iepert
stated the classification and survey of the ship at Lloyd" 44
he bad already stated above, and that she showed wiee,Ll
and laboured at sea *wing to the Improper eturage
heavy railway iron). It therefore appeased that thero-7.,..
ao negligence on the pert of the 00000 yieg
o..,eerr
persons taking up
therel, in ascertaiosag whaler
was seaworthy. If ha/ been an improper
beery iron which tensed her to labour, thatu did utlsz
that she was not properly looked to before she wailed --
The subject then dropped, and the motion for a
minutes
of the house to Monday (it being then t
minutes to 9 o'clock) was agreed to amid loud cheers.--7
NEWSPAPER STAMP BILL.
The adjourned debate on the third reading of tbie
kill wN
resumed.
ofth roMtazur.gaPhtiomAiCts. Kt
It
tt sawswiltd.
stage
ehugwe
ihtwfbuyltdetnnhooistrbi
nailglllotohwisgipi,th,vrieobeu,tihsbpteilitvi
it, as being • most unjust and unfair meeeer.-
oohs and large teens newspapers free of the expeoee-r4
conveyance; bat with regard to the rural and auto/taw
districts they would be taxed for the counyance. -
Mr. MAGUIRE said the question before the bones
tees
the amendment of the hon. and learned member for Ens'
kills,,. (No, no; it is the third reading. The ameadrae:
will come after that.) If that was so, he supposed beeline
still offer some observations on that subject, nice desire',
to point oat to the Chancellor of the Exchequii some Imp..
dimwits to the sunset of his measure. Th.
of lye
bill was to give the public the largest amount of piloted
information, but without any especial benefit to asy nerd.
cular newspaper. That was • fair sod iatelligible peen.
pie ; but he would not have been prepared to euppirt te.
copyright clause, which was withdrawn in deference to the
erase of the house, believing that at wood bus
Injured the London, and ruined the prosiemi.
saes He knew the value or the London journal, to the
provincial prose, and especially the importance of the fon-
MAU journal of the day. He contended that in meal
respects great injury would be dope by this bill. It would
enable low and disreputable journals to pirate articles of i,.
telligence wiih impunity, and actually to live and pimple
upon the daily upon. In reference to the advertilsount
duty, he contended that it was abolished, not for
the advantage of newspaper proprietors, but for
,the benefit of the public. The tame prieeiple
should apply to the Imitation of weight to be carried
by the post. A letter for a mere private individail
was a matter that would benefit at the most two penom,
but the transmission of a new-paper was a subject of as.
tional importance. He appealed to the goveniment
intend the time for transmis.ion. A rich man might reed
a newspaper in a few moments—(langbter)—but a peer
eau, having little time at hie diapogal, might take a week
Sr two to wade through the same matter. Having read hie
paper, he would be virtually prevented from traosnottieg it
through the post by the measure now =on considers.
trove. (Hear, Wmr.)
Sir J. WALMSLEY said he agreed with much that had
fallen from the hon. gentleman who had spoken in up.
sition to the bill, but he objected to making it a per-
sonal question. As a member of the committee sppointed
to consider the removal of the stamp and advertueneet
duty, he agreed with those who held that great advantage
would arise to the community from the freest possible c.a.
munication between the press and the public. Still he mold
not consider that it was necessary to give to the newspaper
press any particular monopoly. He would carry moths
principle of free trade in newspapers as in everyting
else, for it did not appear to him that newipapee
proprietors required Inch a monopoly. He thought
he was well advised when be said that a newspaper
would ocat three times as much as a letter in its
carriage. A newspaper weighed four ounces at least, Ude
an ordinary letter weighed only half an ounce, and the home
was now called upon to allow four ounces to pas thee*
the post eight or ten times while an ordinary half-oxen
letter could pass only once. He did not for • moment be.
line that the press would call upon the hone to do tub is
act of iojaatice, inasmuch as newspaper proprietors had the
privilege of one transmission for a penny, which was quite
as much as they required. He must protest agaiest the
statement that newspaper proprietors required any sack
privilege.
Mr. BARROW, Mr. M. CHAIIBEIti, and Mr. Buena,
having made some remarks,
The house divided—
For the third reading
Against it O-78
On the question that the bill do pass,
Mr. NAPIER (it. the absence of Mr. Whiteside) moved
to insert the following clause : " That every periodical pub•
lication that shall be printed and published at intervals not
exceeding seven days between the two consecutive parts or
numbers of such publication, and the weight of which shall
not on the whole exceed six onoces, shall In entitled to the
said privileges of transmission sod re.transmiseion by the
post, if duly stamped with the appropriate die of one penny.'
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said this
clans* was substantially the same clause that was moved by
his hon. friend the member for Pootetract, which was fully
considered by the house and was negatived by a lug,
majority. As alteration, however, had been made by the
hon. and learned member, the effect of which was to render
it mush more complex and difficult to work : for, as pro.
posed by his h n. friend in committee, he took the limit of
superficial inches, u in the existing law, wh in the
clause now proposed the limit of weight was substituted.
The effect of that would be, that the postage would be de-
termined by weight beyond the six ounces. They mart
resort to the measure of superficial inches with regard to all
periodicals published at istervsls of less than seven dayr.
Then with regard to periodicals published at greater inter•
vals than seven days, the existing law would apply to perio-
dicals both of greater and less weight than six ounces. Be
thought the house would hardly expect that he should again
statevt rear vne
dl o t
hiave
nte
tphrtheprevious
ground
ev?i,
To:
spos de which h
db
taht
ealt.he
(Hear,e d b
made
nhe
beer.)
rese) present
H e thoroughlywboioll 4t r
tl -
to
' leave the existing law unchanged, with the simple exeeptioa
that he made the stamp on newspapers optional instead
of compulsory. The effect of this cheap in the law weed
be in favour of newspapers publishing supplements and acit
against them. One of the principal
an increase of the limit of weight was that a hardship was
inflicted upon newspapers publishing supplements, Inns
much as they did not make an additd nal charge to their
customers, when*, they had a stamp upon the whole of
thole supplement. Now, when this bill became
.law, a
arguments in favour of
sint :1) ,00 wnat
that
whichap at
ht
op ep rn.wiwoos
anouul would
thatl
circulated
bpawyun onl y
through
distributedforh r.
gt hh
compulsory
ittnt
spot
this
place
Therefore,
h‘t,
frteehpfi
oum"rebp, :Letmais 70.
far as regarded newspapers publishing supplemen
the alteration would be in their favour sad not against them.
In other respects the bill left the law unchanged, end it
escape of
ptwlcie would
ilds
privilege.,
at
to
thinktincreasehoeti
o t powernhaotftht newspapersphose paorruilasie lmettede
privileges;
dtt
aantbtniatreefniustjetounvereth,sottUaufasiadecli en'tanolftt.
e
bs
retrtodounawbipeithy
hyleiltveteegeorsbreanirdealzalpeetealrgoetlitner.dpwritteoidt aytotnerd, them extent
Mr. MALINS asked if the bill would prevent a person
sending a newspaper by poet which weighed more than fort
ounces?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER was under•
stood to reply that the bill =ads no alteration with regard
to aewspaprn sent by poet.
Mr. MALINS said the answer was sot quite clear to Ms.
Would they be able after this bill to send the Terns by post
as now ?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—Yee.
The dense was then negatived without a division, sad
some verbal amendments having been made,
Mr. NAPIER was about to maks some observations
relative to the fourth clause, but
The SPEAKER informed him that he was too late.
The bill then passed.
The Irish and Scotch Spirit Duties Bill went through
committee; and the meads/tents to the Customs Duties
Bill were agreed to.
STAMP DUTIES (DRAFTS ON BANKERS) BILL.
On tie order of the day fee the woad reeding of this
bill,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
hoses might recollect that he stated on a former 00elFit10,
that he should submit to their consideration a proposal for
extending the present penny stamp on banker' cheques to
lan cheques which Tiers drawn within a distance of Ices than
fifteen miles from the Bank. As soon as his proposition was
made public, he received various communications from
bahkers and others who would be especially effected by the
proposed duty. It was represented to him that the opera-
tion of the duty would be to discourage, to a great
intuit, the banking trade, by p tong customers
from drawing cheques of less than 101. ; and he
learnt that the practice of making small payments by
cheque had increased of late years, and that it had been
found beneficial to traders, more especially to small traders,
who were thus enabled to economise their payments and to
keep their accounts in • more regular manner. He con-
fessed that before he received the commusications to which
he had referred, he was under the impression that the
average anionic of the cheques drawn upon hankers was
considerably above five, or even ton pounds ; but he had
since learnt, on good authority, that he was mistaken. It
had been stated to him by gentlemen with whom he had
had an interview, that the number of cheques paid by the
London and Westminster Bank, and the National Provin-
cial Bank of England, not exceeding 101., was
thirty-three per cent. of the whole. It could scarcely
be doubted that the imposition of a penny stamp
in the case of cheques of that description would operate ass
diasouregement, audit had therefore been suggested to him
to exempt from the proposed duty cheques below 101. Now,
if this suggestion wire adopted; • very complex state of the
law would arise. (Hear, hear.) With regard to cheques
drawn more than 16 miles from the Banks there would be
a stoop duty of a pansy, whatever might be their mantic.
On the other hand, with regard to cheques drawn within
that distance, there would be a double doss; there would
be cheques above 101. with a stamp, and cheques below
that sum without one; and this distinction would
Create great inoonveniesce, and would be sure to