Oral Answers to Questions — India – in the House of Commons at on 9 December 1929.
Mr Harry Day
, Southwark Central
asked the Secretary of State for India the number of publications that have been confiscated in India under Section 19 of the Sea Customs Act during the three years ended to the last convenient date; and can he give particulars?
Captain William Benn
, Aberdeen North
I have no figures for the three years; but in the year ended 1st October last copies of 58 publications were intercepted. They were mostly issued by the Communist International or subsidiary organisations.
Mr Harry Day
, Southwark Central
Will my right hon. Friend say whether any of the other books of which he has particulars were prohibited on moral grounds?
Captain William Benn
, Aberdeen North
There may have been some, but I do not think the Majority.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
