On Friday week in the House of Commons there was
a debate on the Report stage of the Bill to repeal the law which forbids tobacco-growing in Scotland. The Bill had passed the Standing Committee without amendment. Sir F. Banbury moved the omission of the clause which contains the operative
part of the Bill, on the ground that Scotland has no desire to grow tobacco, and that piecemeal legislation which applies to only one part of the kingdom is objectionable. Sir F. Banbury was almost alone in his objections, and the Bill was read a third time after Mr. Hobhouse, on behalf of the Government, had declared that the Treasury was quite willing to accept it. An interesting point in the debate was the evidence produced to prove the commercial success of tobacco-growing in Scotland before the prohibitory Act of 1782. Mr. Morton offered for the inspection of the House some cigars and tobacco grown in England, and said that nothing better could be obtained any- where. We have heard singular stories, by the way, of the difficulties put in the path of growers in England by Excise officers in addition to the considerable restrictions imposed by the law.
Previous page
