§ MR. HENNIKER HEATON (Canterbury)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the total cost incurred in collecting information for the Board of Trade Journal, the cost of editing, preparing, and printing the periodical; the cost of postages, distinguishing the cost of franked letters; the average circulation, distinguishing copies sold to the public from those sold to the advertising agent or distributed gratuitously; the amount of revenue derived from sale; the amount of revenue derived from advertisements; and the terms of the contract entered into with the advertising contractor; and does the Agricultural Department intend to accept advertisements for its new monthly Journal?
§ MR. BRYCENo, Sir; it is not possible to state the amount of the various items of expense incurred in editing, preparing, and issuing the Board of Trade Journal. Many of the services in respect thereof occupy small portions only of the time of Diplomatic, Consular, Colonial, and other officials, and most of the information published would be given to the public in some other form if not issued in the Board of Trade Journal. The headings in the Votes, under which certain of the charges are entered, were 124 described in the answer given by the Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for Sheffield's question of 20th April. As regards the circulation and revenue of the journal, it would be unusual and obviously inconvenient to the Public Service to state the particulars required by the hon. Member. The contract is not made with the Board of Trade; but as stated in the answer referred to, it would be shown to the hon. Member on calling at the Treasury. For an answer to the last paragraph of the hon. Member's question, I must refer him to the President of the Board of Agriculture.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. H. GARDNER,) Essex, Saffron WaldenThe financial arrangements sanctioned in the case of the proposed quarterly journal of the Board of Agriculture include the acceptance of a certain number of advertisements, but the Treasury have stipulated (1) that advertisements shall be charged at the full market rate, and (2) that no more of them shall be accepted than will cover the cost of publication without leaving a profit. We shall, of course, work strictly within the limitations thus prescribed.
§ MR. HENNIKER HEATONCan the President of the Board of Trade say whether the Journal is carried on at a profit, and, if so, how much profit?