§ MR. AUBERON HERBERTsaid, he wished to ask the Under Secretary to the Treasury, If he would object to grant, on the application of the Committees of Free Libraries, managed under the provisions of the Public Libraries Act, two copies of all Blue-books and other Parliamentary Papers?
§ MR. STANSFELD, in reply, said, the subject of the gratuitous distribution of Parliamentary Papers and blue books had been considered by the Treasury, not now for the first time; and the conclusion which they had arrived at—a conclusion which was, he believed sound—was that documents and books which were gratuitously distributed were not likely to be much valued or used. He thought that conclusion was in accordance with the experience of hon. Members themselves. His hon. 1050 Friend was, he presumed, aware that all those documents were published at a very low price, and might easily be obtained.