§ 73. Sir HARRY BRITTAINasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether, in view of the great Imperial and educational value of the British Empire pageant, he has considered the importance of facilitating in every way the attendance of as large a number of the public as possible at the pageant, whether these considerations have been borne in mind in fixing the charges which are to be made for seats; and whether he can arrange for a proportion of the accommodation to be available free of any charge?
§ Mr. LUNNYes, Sir. I am glad to be able to say that, with the concurrence of the Board of Management of the British Empire Exhibition, and with the consent of the Treasury, arrangements have been made to throw open at the performances of the Pageant of Empire, free of any charge to the public, very nearly half of the total accommodation which will be available in the Stadium. This means that there will be free seats for 10,000 spectators and free standing room for another 9,000. For the other seats there will be reservation charges of 1s. for 16,000 covered seats; 2s. for approximately 2,800 seats immediately behind the Royal Enclosure; and 4s. for 3,000 seats on each side of the Royal Enclosure. These prices all include Entertainment Tax. The Government have come to this decision in spite of the sacrifice of revenue involved, because they realise that the pageant will be, not merely a magnificent spectacle, but also an educational instrument of the highest value; and they desire to give all classes of the community, and especially children, every reasonable facility for witnessing it.
§ Sir H. BRITTAINIn congratulating the hon. Gentleman on his decision, may I ask him whether he will give that decision immediate and the widest possible publicity?