TYNWALD COURT. Tuesday, December 16, 1902. Present: His Excellency the Deputy- Governor, Sir James Gell, C.V.O. ; the Lord Bishop, Deemster Kneen, Deemster Moore, the Attorney-General, the Receiver-General, the Archdeacon, and the Vicar-General, in the Council; and the Speaker (Mr A. W. Moore, C.V.O.), Messrs W. Goldsmith, Kermode, Cowell, J. D. Cluoas, Quine, Laughton, R. Olucas, J. J. Goldsmith, Mylchreest, T. Corlett, Kerruish, Cowley, Quayle, Cadman; Kitto, Maitland, Hutchinson, Allen, Crellin, and Cren. nell. Mr Story, Clerk to the Council, and Mr Gelling, Secretary to the House, were in at- tendanoe. REPLIES FROM THE KING TO AD- DRESSES FROM THE COURT. The Governor presented to the Court the fol- lowing replies to addresses from the Court pre- sented to the King on the occasion of his Ma- jesty's recovery from his recent severe illness, and on the occasion of the coronation of their Majesties. The replies were received by the members of the Court standing:— Home Office, Whitehall, 27th August. 1902. Sir,—I have had the honour to lay before the King the loyal and sympathetic message from the Legislature of the Isle of Man on the occa- sion of his Majesty's severe illness. His Majesty was pleased to receive the same very graciously. —I ani, sir, your obedient servant, A. AKERS-DOUGLAS. Sir Jas. Gell, Government House, Isle of Man. Home Office, Whitehall, 16th Sept., 1902. Sir,—I am commanded by the King to convey to you hereby his Majesty's thanks for the loyal and dutiful address of the Isle of Man Tynwall Court on the occasion of their Majesties' Ooro• nation—I am, sir, your obedient servant, A. AKERS-DOUGLAS. Sir James Gell, Oastletown, Isle of Man. THE LATE LORD HENNIKER. The Court remained standing while his Excellency presented the reply from the Replies from the King to Addresses from the Court.—The late Lord Henniker. TYNWALD COURT, Dec. 16, 1902. 59 hon. A. Margaret Henniker, in reply to the vote of condolence passed by the Court on the death of the late Lord Henniker, Lieutenant Governor of the Island. OCCASIONAL LICENCES IN RAMSEY. The Deputy-Governor laid before the Court the following documents:— Return to an order of the Curt, dated Mai August last, of the nemoer of occasional licences granted under section 24 of the lAcensingAct, 1876, in the town of Ramsey during the months of July, August, and September, in the years 1;00, 1901, and 1902. The accounts of the Insular harbours for the year ended 31st March, 1902, as audited by the Comptroller and Auditor-General. SIZE OF MESH OF HERRING NETS. Mr Quine asked the Chairman of the Sea Fisheries Board whether the nets used in catch- ing herrings on the west coast of the Island by small boats are not below the standard. Mr ereilin: I believe the nets used by the small herring boats are of a. smaller mesh than those used by the larger boats, especially during the first three or four weeks of the season, but if the hon. member for Rushen will refer to the repert the Fisheries Committee handed in to the Court on the 5th July last, he will see, from that, that the Fisheries Committee have nothing to do wills, and have no power over, the herring fisheries of the Island. The Act enables them only to control the trawling, dredging, and oyster fisheries. Mr Quine: I would like to ask whether there is any other power enabled to deal with it. The Deputy-Governor: You did not give me notice of that, and I would not like to answer it off-hand. I think, if you want anything fur- ther, you had better give notice. ELECTION BY BALLOT. Mr Quine, in- accordance with notice, asked the Chairman of the Committee on Elections by Ballot (Municipal, etc.) when the Committee will be in a position to hand in their report. The Deputy-Governor: There are two vacan- cies on the Committee—Mr Cowell, of Ramsey, being, I think, one; and Mr Mylrea. the other. Occasional Licences in Ramsey.—Size of Mesh of Herring Nets.—Election by Ballot. 60 TYNWALD COURT, Dec. 16, 1902. Mr J. J. Goldsmith: I think those are both filled up. The Deputy-Governor: When? Mr J. J. Goldsmith: Three years ago. The Deputy-Governor: Thede two places? Mr J. J. Goldsmith: Yes. The Deputy-Governor: I am very sorry then, bemuse I thought they were left open, and I was going on that; but if it is so, there will be a meeting very shortly. I may just state that, as far as the evidenoe goes that has been taken, it is really just one point that the Committee will have to consider. Mr J. D. °ludas I did not quite catch the answer to the question with regard to the ballot. The Deputy-Governor: I thought there were two vacancies on the Committee, and I was looking for that., and I delayed it to the Tyn- wald Court to make the Committee up. Mr Goldsmith, however, tells me they were filled up. Mr J. D. Clueas: I wanted to know whether the Committee was sitting, because, if they were not moving in the matter, I was proposing to move that the Committee be discharged. Mr Quine: If ever there was a time in the he tory of the Island when the ballot was needed, it is now. (Laughter.) Mr Laughton: If there was ever a time when order was needled' it is now. The Deputy-Governor: It is not for discussion now. SALE OF FEE STAMPS. Mr J. D. Cluoas: I gave your Excellency pri- vate notice of this question:— (a) Whether his Excellency is aware that in most public offices in England where fees are payable in fee stamps, such stamps are sold in the precincts of the office where the fees are payable? (b) Whether there is any, and, if so, what. reason why a similar practice should not be adopted here? (c) If there is no such reason. if his Excellency will take the necessary steps to enable fee stamps to be purchased at the Rolls Office, and the Registry Office for Deeds. The Governor: I may mention that Mr Climes is not the only person who has spoken to me. Mr Clucas may have spoken to me, but I have been spoken to by other persons as well on two or three points with reference to the sale of Sale of Fee Stamps. TYNWALD COURT, Dec. 16, 1902. 61 stamps, and I have been consulting with Mr Story, as-ho has the management of the sale of stamps. There arc some difficulties in the way. In two or three ctses—take Port St. Mary and Port Erin for instances, and it was mentioned lately in ihe lia.11,iug!:—persona wh y want to go before a magistrate and swear an affi- davit cannot do it, liceam:e they cannot get the ls. or 2s. stamp, whichever it may be, and they have to undertake a long journey to Ramsey or to Peel in order to get a stamp to swear an affi- davit. It was only lately my attention was called 1a the fact that, in public offices in England where fee stamps are used, there is a.n office or department where persons who want stamps can buy them without having to go to some other place. The time for making inquiry has been short, but Mr Story tells me that he believes there is in England', in the public offices referred to, .an Inland Revenue Officer, who takes charge of this matter. Take, for instance, the Royal Courts of Justice, there is an Inland Revenue Officer there, as all the stamps are issued by the Inland Revenue Department, and there is an officer there placed purposely in th building to deal with 'the m'at'ter of stamps, and it is probably the same in other cases. The subject requires further considieration, and I will make further inquiry into it. Then, with reference to the other part of the question, I may state that the practice has been this. The fee stamps are all provided by the Inland Re- venue DC'7rariffir11:.. TI:.7Y111:11:0 them. They only charge us for over-printing, the special print- ing that is on them to show that they belong to the Isle of Man, end we get them at a very cheap rate. In England, I believe, besides be- ing sold at these public offices, the stamps are sold ai the pc:MIITILco. The 1' itni,o,ter-Gencral sanctions the sale by postmasters in the Isle of Man, but the posdmasters of the Isle of Man are not ambitious of selling them, because the amount allowed for the sale of stamps is so very small that they would not willingly take the trouble of them. Another thing is that security has to be given by the issuer of stamps for the amount- placed in his hands to sell. The small country postmasters don't care to be troubled ; they won't pay for the stamps to buy them and sell them again; and they don't care to have to give security. There is that difficulty, and it is not worth while to pay small salaries Sale of Fee Stamps. 62 TYNWALD COURT, Dee. 16, 1902. to those people that sell stamps. At present there is a commission paid to the post- master in Douglas, and he has charge of the sale of all.