The Sun.
London, England, 1836-07-19 00:00:00

right that those parties should be protected in the enjoymen t
of the fruits' of their talent aiv:l enterprise.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that
he had not only used his best efforts on the subject, but he had
received the sketch of a Bill in reference to it from parties
concerned in some of the London Journals, which he had put
into the hands of his Learned Friends the law officers of the
Crown. Having received that Copyright 13111 .from only a
portion of the proprietors of the London Press, 11-e. had re-
ferred to the general body of the newspaper propm-tors for
their opinions in regard to it, and from them he had not as yet
received any reply. He was certainly very anxious to secure
to these persons the sole benefit of the talents and mean.'
which they expended upon their respective publications ; but
he must add, that he saw manifest objections to the plan which
had been submitted to him. _ _ _

Lord ASHLEY was desirous of hearing from the Noble
Lord the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
whether he was aware that an order had been issued by the
principal inspector of factories, that all children under thirteen
years of age should attend school twelve hours in the week
and which was so expressed as to render an evasion of the-
Factory Act possible. In the 21st clause of that Act it was
enacted, that not only should they attend twelve hours a week,
but that those hours should be distributed over six days. By
the order to which he alluded, the school attendance might be
given by the children in a mass. He was also desirous of
hearing whether it was the intention of the Government to
increase the number of inspectors, as at present it was quite
clear they were not sufficient for the proper supervision of the
factories.

Lord J. RUSSELL was aware of the regulation issued
under the authority of inspectors, and although it was not con-
trary to the meaning of the Act, it did appear that from its
wording some misunderstanding might arise, and he should
accordingly call Mr. Horner's (the sub-inspector) attention to
it. With respect to the increase in the number of inspectors,
the subject was, with many other points connected with the
same question, under consideration, and, if it might be found
necessary, would meet with due attention.
After x remark in reply from Lord ASHLEY,
Mr. FIELD EN addressed the House on the subject, but in
so low a tone as to be altogether inaudible.
Mr. II U2,IE thought they should wait until a copy of the
instructions was laid upon the table of the 'House.
It was then understood that Lord JOHN RUSSELL pro-
mised to lay upon the table of the House the regulations issued
by the factory inspectors with respect to this subject, a return
which Mr. Hindley hoped would include all regulations by the
inspectors.

Mr. MILES thought that after what had passed with res-
pect to the reports spread by Mr. Cundy in reference to the
member for South Wilts it was his duty to move that Mr.
Cundy be again brought to the bar of that House, and that
the Hon. Member for South Wilts he ordered to attend in his
place on Friday next.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought
that after what had occurred such a proceeding was unneces-
sary. Not the slightest blame or stigma could possibly attach
to the Member for South Wilts. The course which the Hon.
Gentleman wished to pursne appeared to him rather calculated
to give weight and currency to a charge, which the House
itself did not, nor could for one moment, entertain. He hoped,
therefore, the Hon. Gentleman would perceive how utterly
needless it was to pursue the subject further.—( Hear. )
Sir C. BURRELL said he knew it would be a matter of
exceeding inconvenience to the llon. Member, whose health
was in a very precarious state, to attend the House, though he
himself expressed the greatest anxiety to do so if the House
thought it necessary—( Hear, hear)—and he was quite sure
that the Hon. Member himself would be the first and most
anxious to refute any statements which might be prejudicial
to him.

Dr. BO WRING said that he would oppose the motion on
a higher ground than the Hon. Member's health or conve-
nience, viz., that that I-louse was most perfectly satisfied with
the high and honourable character of the Hon. Gentleman.
Mr. MILES seeing what appeared to be the general im-
pression of the House, would yield to the withdrawing of his
motion.

STAMP DUTIES BILL.

On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE-
QUER, the House resolved itself into Committee on this Bill.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then said.
that before the Committee proceeded to the consideration of
the clauses of this Bill he thought it necessary to state to them
in general terms the alterations which he proposed to make in
the measure since it had been last under discussion. These
alterations would, he thought, meet the objections which had
been urged by Honourable Members on the last discussion in
behalf of a very respectable class of persons : he meant the
printers of the metropolis. The Hon. Member for Chester
(Mr. Jervis) had objected to the 180th clause, the object of
which was to impose on printers an obligation and liability
with respect to the advertisement duty. It had been stated on
that occasion (and stated with considerable force), that to sub-
ject the printer for arrear of advertisement duty, of which, in
all probability, he was not cognisant, to have his goods and
chattels seized and all goods found on the premises, was un-
just and hard towards him. He had always stated that it
was necessity alone which made him have recourse to this
or any other step of a restrictive nature ; and he was re-
joiced to find, on communication with the Stamp-office,
that by takia, more precaution with respect to the se-
curity given Cos the collection of the advertisement duty,
he should be enabled to free the printer altogether from
the application of this clause. Therefore his first duty
was to move that clause 180 be omitted.—( Hear, hear.)
It might, perhaps, be convenient that he should pro-
ceed a little further, in stating to the Committee the other
alterations which he meant to propose. In the first in-
stance he wished to express his determination of adhering
to the resolution which he had originally formed of not impos-
ing any obligation which was not absolutely necessary. but at
the same time not to leave himself powerless with regard to
the collection of the revenue. With respect to the word
" Pamphlet," inserted in one of the clauses, it was objected to
that such publications would thereby be brought under the
terms of this Act as were not at present subject to the News-
paper Duty. He meant to omit that word altogether ; but in
order to guard against abuses (which on a former occasion he
had stated as his only object in introducing the word), it was
his intention to introduce a general clause for the purpose of pre-
venting any paper liable to a stamp escaping free of duty by being
put into a pamphlet shape. Now, with respect to the stringent
clauses giving immediate newer against those who violated the
laws, it was urged in objection to them as they originally stood,
,' These clauses will subject parties to penalties without their
knowing that they are liable to them. We (continued the
printers) are perfectly satisfied with and entirely acquiesce in
your design of taking all necessary steps for the collection of
the revenue, provided you do not entail upon us risk and in-
convenience, and loss of character, and forfeiture of pro-
perty, if inadvertently and without notice we commit a viola-
tion of the law." He thought he might as well, as so much
doubt had lately been expressed with respect to the quarter
from which he received information, and on what suggestions
he had acted at once, give the names of the four gentlemen
who waited upon him with reference to this question on the
part of the printers. They were Mr. Woodfall, Mr. Richard
Taylor, Mr. M'Clure, and Mr. Alexander Mackay. After
some communications he received from them certain proposi-
tions which appeared to them the most desirable to have
adopted. He told them that without communicating with the
Stamp-office department, and his Honourable Friend the At-
torney-General, to submit them to the one, in order to see
that these suggestions were not likely to cause any loss to the
revenue ; and, to the other, to ascertain whether they were
practicable, he could give them no distinct answer. On that
day he had seen them again ; he had gone through the new
clauses with them, and they were convinced that these clauses
(233 and 234) were unexceptionable. These clauses, then,
would run in the following manner :—All printers would be
not required but permitted to register their names at the
Stamp-office, to state their place of abode, and where the
business of the journals or newspapers for which they printed
were carried on ; and when they undertook the printing of any
new journal to state the name of that new Journal. In the
event of this class of printers printing any new journal with-
out a stamp, they would not be subject to A penalty until they
received notice, by which it was announced that the paper
which they printed was not stamped; and that if they did not
discontinue it, they would sueject themselves to the penalties
of the Act. Also with respect to the stamped press, it is
provided, in order to guard against another inconvenience to
which this regulation may be exposed, that if any of those
printers of registered papers has one hundred papers with the
stamp impression sent to him to print, and one thousand with-
out it, and that he prints them, he thereby commits an evasion
and violation of the Act, and must abide the consequences.
For he held it to be clear, that the receipt of such papers as
were without the impression, with directions to have them
printed, was in itself equivalent to the notice which, in the
case of a registered printer printing an unstamped paper, the
Stamp-office was bound to send him.—(Hear, hear.) These
alterations met the objections which were urged on a former
night; they answered the views of the printers, who were the
parties principally affected by these clauses ; and the only
parties subject to the penalties of the Act without notice
were those who refused to register their names, and who
could not complain of having no notice of their violation of
the law served upon them, since they did not afford any
means of doing so.—(Hear, hear.) Observations had also
been made on the definitions given in the schedule of the
Bill as to the publications which should be liable to stamp
duty. Now, he had already most distinctly stated that
there should be no publication brought within the schedule
which was not now subject to stamp duty. But in order
to prevent any possible disadvantage, he was prepared to
continue any exception which now existed in express terms.
Now, with these alterations, Hon. Gentlemen will see, that
whilst they had not abandoned one iota that was necessary
for the security of the revenue, they had taken every pos-
sible means to screen the parties from all just cause of
complaint. There had been objections urged on a former
occasion to joint-stock companies, or large newspap,er com-
panies, the proprietors of which were unknown ; and it was
suggested that a registration of the names of the proprie-
tors might be expedient. He believed that the Hon. Mem-
ber for Liskeard (Mr. C. Buller), who spoke upon this
question, was not then prepared with any motion upon this
subject ; all he could say was, that he did not think a re-
gistration of the proprietors absolutely necessary for the
protection of the revenue ; but he certainly considered it
part of that salutary system of restraint by which responsi-
bility was impoied on all parties connected with newspapers.
Hear, bear, hear. ) On the question of the separate die
for each newspaper, he wished to reserve himself until the
clause which referred to it should arise; but lie deemed it
necessary to give the general explanations which he had•
done, before the 'clauses which occasioned them were brought
under diwnsion..—(Hear, hear.) The Ri'yht Hen. Gentle-
man concluded bs' moving that cla,z3e 180 be struck out.
Mr. WAKLEY expressed his great satisfaction at the
course which the Right Hon. Gentleman had taken. With