CHAP. viii] COPYRIGHT LEGISLATION 1229
produced within a reasonable time either in the United
Kingdom or in Canada at such a price as to meet the Cana-
dian demand, there should be power to grant a licence for
its publication in Canada on the terms of paying a royalty to
the copyright authors. But more precautions should be
taken than was done by the Act of 1889 to secure the interests
of authors, Twelve months might be allowed as a reason-
able time for cheap reproduction, and during this period the
Imperial Copyright should remain unimpaired. The amount
of the royalty might, perhaps, be 15 per cent., and should be
levied by means of a stamp on each copy, and if unstamped
books were offered for sale they should be liable to seizure.
If this were done and licences could be granted for reprinting
British copyright books, either the foreign reprints Act of
1847 should cease to apply to Canada or Canada, should, in
accordance with the recommendations of the Copyright
Commission, make better provision for securing to the
authors of copyright works the payment of duty on such
foreign reprints as should be still admitted into the
Colony.
The report of this Committees was transmitted to the
Government of Canada in a dispatch of June 30, 1892, with
a request that the whole subject should be reconsidered by
the Dominion Government in the light thrown upon it
by the researches of the Committee.! The reply 2 to this dis-
patch was sent by Lord Aberdeen on February 10, 1894, in
which it was stated that nothing in the Report was likely to
shange the opinion of the Canadian Ministry, that notice
should be given with the least possible delay of the with-
drawal of Canada from the Berne Convention. The Ministry
reminded the Governor-General that Canada had been
repeatedly assured that her continuance in any treaty
arrangement of this kind would be subject to her desire to
withdraw at any time on giving the required notice. In a
later dispatch of February 20, 1894,% a detailed reply was
given to the report of the Departmental Committee. The
* Parl. Pap., C. 7783, p. 60. * Ibid., p. 64.
' Ibid., pp. 66-77.
1279+3
