§ MR. JESSE COLLINGSasked, Whether, seeing that the Government propose to buy a part of the collection of the Ashburnham MSS. for £45,000, and that the Trustees of the British Museum are willing to give a further sum of £20,000 out of their annual grant towards the purchase, the Government will consent to propose an additional Vote of £25,000 to make up £90,000, the total amount of purchase money necessary to secure to the nation the whole of the collection, with the exception of the Libri and Barrois portion?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)Sir, in reply to my hon. Friend, I have to say that, if the Trustees of the British Museum were ready to reduce their annual grant by £20,000, that reduction would have to be spread over a long series of years, and the Vote to be now taken would be £90,000, not £70,000. But Her Majesty's Government had a suggestion to this effect before them some weeks ago, and, after full consideration, did not see their way to adopt it.