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may possibly be hereafter stretched too far. Such reasoning would lead to an abandonment of all that promotes bodily vigor, and regulates social laws, because by abuse or intemperance that which is useful might possibly be rendered hurtful.
19. The opponents of a stamp duty may safely rely, if not on the Governor, yet on Her Majesty's Government to prevent any undue extension of the existing Ordinance. The Governor can only by Section to decrease the Stamp duty on any item, but has no power to increase it.
20. I would gladly avail myself of that power to diminish the duty on Bank notes in circulation from 1 to 1/2 per cent.
21. Nevertheless it is not my fault that it remains so, for individually I was anxious to meet the views of some of the Members of the Council on that point. Therefore before the Council's last meeting, I requested the Head of an eminent firm to offer suggestions on the point, and explained my wish to transfer to some fresh items half of the probable amount derivable from the proposed duty on Bank Notes.
22. It seemed to me that neither the official Member nor any other official was at all...
ICB