MONEYLENDERS BILL.

Clause 1.

An Amendment proposed, in page 1, line 6, to leave out sub-sections (1) and (2), in order to insert the words :

"(1) Every moneylender, whether carrying on business alone or as a partner of a firm, shall take out annually in respect of every place in which he carries on business as such an excise licence (in this Act referred to as a moneylender's excise licence'), which shall expire on the thirty-first day of July in every year, and, subject as hereinafter provided, there shall be charged on every moneylender's excise licence an excise duty of fifteen pounds or, if the licence be taken out not more than six months before the expiration thereof, of ten pounds:

Provided that

(a) the duty charged on any moneylender's excise licence which will expire on the thirtyfirst day of July, nineteen hundred and twenty-seven, shall, notwithstanding that the licence may be taken out more than six months before the expiration thereof, be a duty of ten pounds; and

(b) where moneylenders' excise licences are taken out by two or more moneylenders in respect of any place or places in which they carry on their business as partners of a firm, the Commissioners of Customs and Excise shall remit or, if the duty has been paid, repay to the firm a sum equal to the amount of the aggregate of the duties charged on such number, if any, of the moneylenders' excise licences taken out by all the partners of the firm in respect of those places as exceeds the number of the partners or the number of

the places in respect of which the licences are taken out, whichever is the greater; and (c) where it is proved to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise that. there is in force a licence for carrying on the business of a pawnbroker at any premises in respect of which a moneylender's excise licence is taken out by the person carrying on such business, the Commissioners shall remit or, if the duty has been paid, repay to that person such part of the duty charged on the moneylender's excise licence as is equal to the amount of the duty paid in respect of the licence for carrying on the business of a pawnbroker, but if in any such case more moneylenders' excise licences. than one are taken out by partners of a firm in respect of the premises, such part as afresaid of the duty charged on one of the moneylenders' excise licences shall be remitted or repaid to the firm "-(Captain King),-instead thereof.

Question proposed, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Clause."

[Adjourned until To-morrow, at 11 o'clock.

An Amendment proposed, in page 1, line 6, to leave out sub-sections (1) and (2), in order to insert the words :

"(1) Every moneylender, whether carrying on business alone or as a partner of a firm, shall take out annually in respect of every place in which he carries on business as such, an excise licence (in this Act referred to as 'a moneylender's excise licence'), which shall expire on the thirty-first day of July in every year, and, subject as hereinafter provided, there shall be charged on every moneylender's excise licence an excise duty of fifteen pounds or, if the licence be taken out not more than six months before the expiration thereof, of ten pounds :

Provided that

the

(a) the duty charged on any moneylender's excise licence which will expire on thirty-first day of July, nineteen hundred and twenty-seven, shall, notwithstanding that the licence may be taken out more

than six months before the expiration. thereof, be a duty of ten pounds; and (b) where moneylenders' excise licences

åre

taken out by two or more moneylenders in respect of any place or places in which they carry on their business as partners of a firm, the Commissioners of Customs and Excise shall remit or, if the duty has been paid, repay to the firm a sum equal to the amount of the aggregate of the duties charged on such number, if any, of the moneylender's excise licences taken out by all the partners of the firm in respect of those places as exceeds the number of the partners or the number of the places in respect of which the licences are taken out, whichever is the greater; and

(c) where it is proved to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise that there is in force a licence for carrying on the business of a pawnbroker at any premises in respect of which a moneylender's excise licence is taken out by the person carrying on such business, the Commissioners shall remit or, if the duty has been paid, repay to that person such part of the duty, charged on the moneylender's excise licence as is equal to the amount of the duty paid in respect of the licence for carrying on the business of a pawnbroker, but if in any such case more moneylender's excise licences than one are taken out by partners of a firm in respect of the premises, such part as aforesaid of the duty charged on one of the moneylender's excise licences shall be remitted or repaid to the firm "—(Captain King),—instead thereof.

Question again proposed, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Clause."

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Another Amendment proposed, in page 1, line 6, to leave out the words "whether carrying on business alone

or as a partner of a firm," in order to insert the words "or firm carrying on business as moneylenders "—(Lieut.Colonel Watts-Morgan), - instead thereof. -Question, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Clause," put, and agreed to.

-

Another Amendment proposed, in page 1, line 9, to leave out all the words from the word "on" to the end of sub-section (2), in order to insert the words "business as such, an excise licence (in this Act referred to as 'a moneylender's excise licence '), which shall expire on the thirty-first day of July in every year, and, subject as hereinafter provided, there shall be charged on every moneylender's excise licence an excise duty of fifteen pounds or, if the licence be taken out not more than six months before the expiration thereof, of ten pounds:

Provided that

(a) the duty charged on any moneylender's excise licence which will expire on the thirty-first day of July, nineteen hundred and twentyseven, shall, notwithstanding that the licence may be taken out more than six months before the expiration thereof, be a duty of ten pounds; and

(b) where moneylenders' excise licences are taken out by two or more moneylenders in respect of any place or places in which they carry on their business as partners of a firm, the Commissioners of Customs and Excise shall remit or, if the duty has been paid, repay to the firm a sum equal to the aggregate of the duties charged on such number of the licences taken out as exceeds the number of the places in respect of which they are taken out; and

(c) where it is proved to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise that there is in force a licence for carrying on the business of a pawnbroker at any premises in respect of which a moneylender's excise licence is taken out by the person carrying on the business, the Commissioners shall