114 



Parliamentary Publications. 



JbLxcetiL oere, flax, and hay, the yield of all crops was also 

 oelow last year, while only hay was above the average of the 

 ten years, 1887-96, and that by a little over ten per cent. 

 The most serious decline was shown by potatoes, the average 

 yield of which is 37 tons per acre , 72*6 per cent, of the 

 acreage under potatoes was planted with the Champion 

 variety. 



Reports from Her Majesty s Representatives 07t Legislative 

 Measures respecting Gambling in " Option " and ^'Fiitztre " 

 Contracts. [C. 8850.] Price ^d. 



The Foreign Office last year requested Her Majesty's 

 Representatives in various foreign countries to obtain trans- 

 lations of any measures, either proposed or in force, for 

 prohibiting or restricting gambling in " option " and 

 future" contracts representing fictitious agricultural 

 produce or metals. The replies received have now been 

 published as a parliamentary paper. 



In the Argentine Republic the articles of the Commercial 

 Code tend to show that losses on operations of this nature 

 are not recoverable at law. 



In Austria payment in all such transactions at an 

 Exchange, and in articles dealt in exclusively at the 

 Exchange in question, can be legally exacted. In Hungary 

 there is no restrictive legislation on the subject. 



In Belgium gambling debts are not recoverable at law, 

 ai'id it has been held in the Court of Appeal that this includes 

 future contracts where there is no intention to actually deliver 

 goods ; but the fact of the transaction being a gambling one 

 has to be proved in each separate case. A Bill definitely 

 prohibiting all fictitious dealings of this nature passed the 

 Senate in December, 1896, but had not (in April, 1897) come 

 before the Lower House. 



In France gambling in options and futures is practically 

 sanctioned by the law of 28th March, 1885. A Bill to 

 prohibit such dealings in provisions and agricultural produce 

 was mtroduced by M. Rose in June, 1896, in the Chamber of 

 Deputies, and a committee reported favourably on it in 



