§ Sir FRANCIS LOWEBefore we proceed to the Orders of the Day, I should like to ask you, Mr. Speaker, how it is that the Paper containing the Orders of the Day is so partially distributed? I notice that a great many Members around me have these Order Papers, but I applied to the Vote Office early in the afternoon, and could not get a copy. I really think that either they should not be distributed at all, or should be distributed impartially to all Members in the House.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe number of copies that it is possible to print, in the present circumstances, is very limited. They are delivered to the Vote Office, and I imagine that the rule there is, "First come, first served." I do not see very well how any other method could be adopted.
§ Sir F. LOWEWould it not be possible for a sufficient number of copies to be printed to supply all the Members of House? I should have thought that even such an emergency as now exists would not prevent the House of Commons Papers from being printed in sufficient number to supply a copy of the Order Paper to each Member.
§ Mr. SPEAKERWe are, unhappily, without the assistance of our usual printers, and, therefore, we have to do the best we can by other means.
§ Sir WILLIAM DAVISONHave not the Government their own printers at Harrow, and could not they be used to print the Order Paper in this national emergency?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat does not lie within my province. All I can say is that I have done my very best, with very willing assistance, to get the number of Papers that have been produced.
§ Mr. STEPHENCould it not be arranged that there should be more of these Parliamentary Papers published than the Tory rag that is called the "British Gazette."
§ Mr. SPEAKERI am responsible only for the Votes and Proceedings of the House.
§ Sir HARRY BRITTAINWould it be possible—we all understand the reason why the copies are so few—for one Paper to be put on each bench, so that it could be passed up and down the Bench?
Lieut.-Colonel Sir FREDERICK HALLWould it not be advisable, seeing that it is impossible for us to know what the questions are that have been put to Ministers, that during these times of trouble there should be no starred questions at all, but that any questions requiring replies from Ministers should be put down for the purpose of receiving written replies?
Sir WILLIAM LANE MITCHELLThe printing would appear to be the difficulty, but, if one copy can be printed, it is easy to print a hundred, and one cannot see why sufficient should not be printed to provide one for every Member. I would get it done myself, if it cannot be done otherwise.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI do not think that hon. Members can appreciate the difficulties more than I do. The very best that has been possible has been done. As regards the previous question, all the questions that are on the Order Paper to-day were handed in last Monday, or earlier than that.
§ Mr. CONNOLLYWe should like it to be known that, if these papers are to be printed by "blacklegs", we on these benches would sooner be without them.