The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-15 00:00:00

MUTINY BILL.

On the motion of the Earl of ABERDEEN, this bill
was read a third time and passed.
MARINE MUTINY BILL.

On- the motion of the same noble earl, this bill was
also read a third time and passed.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.)
UNSTA_MPED PUBLICATIONS.
Mr. M. GIBSON said, this being a revenue bill, he
wished to call the attention of the house to the unsatis-
factory state of the law in reference to the tax imposed
on a certain class of newspapers. (Hear, hear.) The
Attorney-General of the late Government (Sir F. Thesi-
ger) stated, on the 6th of December last, that immediate
legislation was necessary upon that subject, and the
right hon. gentleman obtained leave to introduce a bill
with reference to it. Since that time, however, no fur-
ther proceedings had been taken on the matter. In
November, 1851, a suit for penalties against the pub-
lishers of the Household Narrative of Current Events was
instituted in the Court of Exchequer, which was decided
in favour of Messrs. Bradbury and Evans, and against
the Board of Inland Revenue. That board, however,
declined to acquiesce in that decision, and the law offi-
cers of the Crown were instructed to appeal to the court
of the Exchequer Chamber. Subsequently there was a
change of Government, and the law officers of Lord
Derby's Government advised the Crown that the decision
of the Court of Exchequer was contrary to law, but that
to prevent future litigation, a bill ought to be introduced
on the subject. Lord Derby's Government went out ;
this was now 1853, and this simple matter was now hung
up in suspense. (Hear, hear.) That state of things
was not only inconvenient to the parties concerned, but
was somewhat oppressive ; and he had now to ask the
Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he would promiSe
to use all convenient and possible speed to bring this
matter to a termination ? (Hear, hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, if
any weight was due to the opinions of the legal autho-
rities with whom he had an opportunity of conversing
on this question, it was not so simple as the right hon.
gentleman seemed to suppose. The great difficulty was,
to give relief to the paities who appeared to be entitled
to it, and at) the same time to exclude from such relief
those whose publications clearly came within the mean-
ing of the existing statute. He believed that the opi-
nion of the law officers of the Crown would be in the
possession of the Government in a day or two, and no
time should be lost in coming to a decision on the ques-
tion after that opinion had been received.
Mr. HUME would suggest, as the easiest mode of
getting rid of the difficulties connected with the subject,
that the tax should be repealed altogether. (Laughter.)
If the Chancellor of the Exchequer would permit the
publication in question to be printed without the tax,
and only charge those with the duty which were trans-
mitted through the post, the right hon. gentleman in
twelve months would receive an amount of postage
equal to that which he remitted.
Sir F. THESIGER said the case was not so free from
difficulty as the right honourable gentleman (Mr. M.
Gibson) seemed to suppose. When the last Govern-
ment came into power there had been a decision in the
Court of Exchequer in favour of the exemption of the
duty ; but the other law officers of the Crown and him-
self were rather disposed to think that Baron Parke,
who dissented from the rest of the court, was in the
right, and that the decision of the court should be ap-
pealed against. With the view, however, to prevent future
litigation, the late Chancellor of the Exchequer was of
opinion that without any detriment to the public interests
he might introduce a bill, by which publications like
the Household Narrative might be exempt from duty;
but the difficulty was that unless they were extremely
careful in wording the bill they would exempt from duty
a great number of publications which were clearly liable
to be charged under the existing law. A bill, however,
was prepared, and he (Sir F. Thesiger) asked leave to
bring it in, but it was objected to by the right hon. gen-
tleman (Mr. M. Gibson) on the ground that, being a bill
affecting the revenue to some extent, it could only be
considered in a committee of the whole house. He (Sir
F. Thesiger) did not therefore attempt to introuduce the
bill. The more he looked at this question the more he
felt it was surrounded with difficulties. The honourable
member for Montrose had certainly suggested a very
ready way of solving those difficulties, but he (Sir F.
Thesiger) should be much surprised if the Chancellor of
the Exchequer acceded to such a proposition.
Mr. COBDEN said it did really appear to him that
the house was placed in a most humiliating position.
They had three Governments bringing their ingenuity
to bear on this subject, with the view to prevent the
free diffusion of knowledge. (Hear, hear.) And under
what circumstances ? At the very time when all parties
were agreed to extend the rights of the people in the
matter of the political franchise. The house was going
to enlarge the franchise, and yet, at the same time, they
were exercising all their ingenuity to prevent the people
obtaining political knowledge. Such conduct appeared
to him to be wholly indefensible. Now they could not
define what news was. He had an opportunity of
cross-examining the lawd officers and the Secretary of
the Board of Inland Revenue, and he tried to find
out from them what news really was. He would give
the house an illustration. Those gentlemen were asked
if the Queen's speech at the opening of the session
was news. They replied that it was. Then they were
asked if the speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
in opening his budget was news ? They said that was
not news, and that it might be published in a newspaper
without a stamp. (A laugh.) Now, could anybody
deny that there was far more public interest of import-
ance attached to the budget of a Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer than to a Queen's speech ? Now, as his
honourable friend (Mr. Hume) had suggested, the only
question was, whether or not the stamp should not be
abolished altogether? (Hear, hear.) The thing Was
being practically done already, for they had some forty
publications in London, including such papers as the
.Athenceum, and the Builder, all publishing news, but
which were stamped or not, just at the option of their
proprietors. Now, on considerations of revenue, he
thought this was a subject which might fairly be left to
the disposal of Mr. Rowland Hill and the Post-office ;
and if that were done—if newspayers were only subject
to a tax on passing through the Post-office, he had no
doubt that the Chancellor of the Exchequer would lose
very little in the end, whilst he would get rid of a prac-
tice which was a stigma and a reproach to the age they
lived in. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. BRIGHT begged to ask the Chancellor of the
Exchequer whether it was his intention to repay Messrs.
Bradbury and Evans their costs in the action in which
the Government was defeated ? The event proved that
the Government was wrong in the suit they instituted
against those gentlemen, and that being so, he thought
the Government should pay all the costs in the ordinary
way.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, in
reply, the subject which the hon. gentleman had just
owned was entirely new to him (the Chancellor of the
Exchequer), and that any application of that kind would
have to be considered on its own merits. The whole
subject was now under the consideration of the Govern-
ment, but it would require an alteration in the law to
carry out the principle which the hon. gentleman had
suggested.
Mr. RICARDO said it was somewhat remarkable that
three successive Governments had confessed themselves '
unable to deal satisfactorily with this question ; and, as
the only way of getting rid of the difficulty attaching to
it, the present Government was now about to obtain a
judgment in the case from a police magistrate. (Hear,
pheotarte.)aies pr ee
Acons!ituent of his published a paper called the
Press, and—overlooking the Racing Tele-
graph, -Punch, and various other publications—the Go-
vernment was about to summon that unfortunate man
in
before a police magistrate, with a view to mulct him in
a penalty of some or to imrison him. That was
the caand ase whißow-
ch wasstrteoe.
next,lt
c,rought to p a
hearing on Thursday
tion which had puzzled magistrate was to decide a ques-
e law officers of the Crown in
three successive Administrations.
ca,rdo) was entirely -
The ATTORNEY-GrEERAL said the honourable
gentleman (Mr. Ri
were at
and that of
posing that the cause of his constituent Y mistaken in sup-
Messrs. Bradbury and Evans
liwouBer loti all similar. The
interval d Narrative was,
question in the case of the
allpotter of not less
whether it was published within
than twenty-eight days ; but the
a clear
to
f; ation of
Potteries Free Press
was published every week, contained regular oat
of public news, and was, therefore, 1 statements
the law. Whether or not it was desirable
existing law was one question ; but so long aAeoll the
remained on the statute-book, he apprehended it was
clearly the duty of the Government to enforce it. aa
Mr. EWART though it was possible to establish a
'system of postage duties on newspapers passing through
the post, by which, whilst the revenue would not be
prejudiced, the numerous evasions of the existing law
would be prevented.
The conversation then dropped, and it was agreed that
the bill should be read a third time this day at half-past
four o'clock. _ __

---
METROPOLITAN IMPROVEMENTS (REPAY-
MENT OUT OF THE CONSOLIDATED FUND)
BILL.
On the motion that this bill .be read a thiretime,
Mr. W. WILLIAMS wished to obtain au assurance
from the Commissioner of Works, that the Crown rents
arisinc,, out of the public improvement in question would
be sold without delay.
Sir W. MOLESWORTH said so soon as the Govern-
ment could get the full value for those Crown rents, they
would be ready to sell them.
Inereply to a question from Mr. HUME,
asTrehgarTANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,
ed the enactments of this bill, he should be the
last man to propose to the house to put, any charge on
the Consolidated Fund to the detriment of the public.
The pecuniary-liabilities to which this bill related wera
already settled so far as the public, were concerned ; and]