§ 45. Sir WILLIAM DAVISONasked the Prime Minister how the trustees of the British Museum were enabled to purchase the Codex Sinaiticus in anticipation of the necessary subscriptions from the public?
§ The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald)I am glad to have this opportunity to correct and amplify the reply which I gave on the spur of the moment to a supplementary question put to me by my hon. Friend last Thursday. The purchase price of the Codex was paid from the Purchase Fund of the British Museum; and as only £7,000 was at the time available in that fund, the balance of the sum required was temporarily advanced to it by the Treasury out of the Civil Contingencies Fund.
§ Sir W. DAVISONIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the British Museum, during the current financial year, only received some £15,000 for purchases by way of grant from the Government; and, if this amount is to be mortgaged for years to come, in order to pay back this £100,000, less subscriptions, etc., does it not mean that the British Museum will have no funds for some time to come, to pay for other purchases?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThat is on the assumption that the balance required has not been raised. The British Museum trustees are fully confident that it will be raised.
§ Sir H. SAMUELSeeing that there is no Parliamentary sanction for the expenditure which the Government contemplate, does not the right hon. Gentleman think that the matter ought to be brought before the House of Commons before July next which is, we are informed, the date when the Supplementary Estimate will be presented?
§ The PRIME MINISTERMy advice from the Treasury is that everything which has been done has been perfectly in order.
§ Mr. TINKERIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the prevailing feeling is that the Government would have been far better employed in restoring the cuts, than in making this purchase?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI want to make it perfectly clear that, so far as I can ascertain, the feeling is that the Government would have been very shortsighted, if they had not given facilities for the acquisition by this country of such a possession as this.
§ Mr. MAXTONIs it not the case that private subscribers are not showing that enthusiasm for this acquisition which was anticipated?
§ The PRIME MINISTERMy report to-day is that the experience of the collection of this subscription is more hopeful of final success than any previous attempt made by the British Museum to appeal to the general public to support a subscription of this kind.
§ Sir W. DAVISONWhat arrangements have been made to make it clear that the £100,000 to be spent by the Russian Government in this country is in addition to sums which they normally spend here?