§ 69. Mr. NOEL BUXTONasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, having regard to the fact that the official Report on the Lausanne Conference (Turkey, No. 1, 1923, Cmd. 1814) costs £1 10s., which places the Report beyond the reach of most of the persons desirous of reading it, he will endeavour to bring about a substantial reduction of the price?
§ Major BOYD-CARPENTERThe Report consists of 869 pages of letterpress and a map and was priced according to the usual scale for Parliamentary papers, which is calculated to represent the cost price of printing and publishing on the average. I doubt whether any reduction in price, such as I could contemplate, would have the effect. of materially increasing the number of conies sold, and the result would therefore be to increase the loss falling to be made good by the taxpayer.
§ Mr. BUXTONWill the hon. and gallant. Gentleman reconsider his decision. in view of the fact that the voluminous Blue Book on the Versailles Conference cost. only £1?
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs it not a fact that this sum includes the cost of all the free distributed copies to Government Departments and Members of this House, and is it quite fair to the public?
§ Major BOYD-CARPENTERIt may or may not be quite fair to the public, but I can tell the hon. and gallant Member that only 310 copies have been sold, and there are more available for those who are interested in the matter. It is the general 253 principle of the cost that is involved, and I could not consider modifying the cost and throwing an extra burden on the taxpayers.
§ Major BOYD-CARPENTERI could not say without notice.
§ Mr. RILEYCan the hon. and gallant Gentleman see his way to reduce the price to hon. Members, and will he see. that an additional supply of copies is placed in the Library?
§ Major BOYD-CARPENTERHon. Members get them free.