§ MR. MACDONALDasked the Secretary to the Treasury, If his attention has been directed to an announcement in page 16 of the Controller for the Stationery Office's Report, which sets forth that certain law reporters are to have copies of the Chronological Table and Index of Statutes at the rate of five shillings per volume, but that the public will require to pay ten shillings per volume; and, whether Members of the House of Commons are of the public, and why they are to be compelled to pay five shillings more per volume than the law reporters; further, why the volumes are not among those that are laid upon the Table of the House and distributed to Members?
§ LOUD FREDERICK CAVENDISHSir, until 1879 the Chronological Index of the Statutes was published by the Queen's Printers at their own risk. The last edition so published was sold to the public at 29s., and to the Government at 21s. 9d. a copy. By a private agreement made with the publishers, 5,000 copies were supplied to the Council of Law Reporting at 5s. a copy. In 1879 the publication was undertaken by the Stationery Office. The volume, containing some 1,200 pages, is now offered to the public at 10s. a copy, which, owing to the limited demand for the book, is considerably less than the cost price of the paper and printing. The Council of Law Reporting, who are not reporters publishing for profit, but an official and representative body, having offered to take 5,000 copies of the forthcoming edition at 5s. a copy, which covers the cost when so large a number is printed, their offer has been accepted by the Treasury. Unless there is a general desire that the Index should be presented to Parliament and distributed to Members, I do not think that it would be desirable to do so, as the volume is very bulky and is of a somewhat technical character, and, as it has to be republished at short intervals, the cost of so doing would be very considerable.
§ MR. MACDONALDasked, whether the House was to understand that, as the 1230 cost to the public was 10s. a copy, the Council of Law Reporting was being supplied at a loss to the public?
§ LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISH,in reply, said, that the large number made the difference—5,000 copies could be produced at a much less cost, proportionately, than 500.