§ MR. EDWARD STANHOPEasked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether, having regard to the statement of the Controller of the Stationery Department that a popular edition of the Statutes might be produced annually and sold for about 7s., and to the Recommendation of the Select Committee on Public Departments (Purchases, &c.) 1874, he intends to take any steps towards making a cheap and compact edition of the Statutes accessible to the general public?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHThere are at present two editions of the statutes published by Messrs. Eyre and Spottiswoode, the one at the price of a 1d. per sheet of four pages imperial octavo, the other at 2d. per sheet of 12 pages royal octavo. The average price of a volume of the latter bound is 12s.; but the unbound sheets could be obtained for from 9s. to 9s. 6d. It is thought that without any editorial matter or references an edition might be published for about 7s. 6d., but it is not considered that such an edition would pay. It is, however, open to any publisher to bring out a cheap edition, as Messrs. Eyre and Spottiswoode have no 842 exclusive right of publication, but the Government is not disposed itself to undertake the task.