68. Mr. Astorasked the Secretary of State for War which branch of the Army is now responsible for the distribution of papers to the troops in operational areas; and whether he will make inquiries to ascertain whether the system is working satisfactorily?
§ Sir J. GriggNewspapers are at present usually sent forward to detail issue depots in R.A.S.C. lorries and are then collected by units in their own lorries when they collect their rations. With more transport the distribution of newspapers could doubless be improved, but considering that the transport available is limited I am satisfied with the working 2079 of the existing arrangements. My hon. Friend may be interested to know that 4,000, which is shortly to be increased to 8,000, copies of the "Tripoli Times" are being flown daily to troops in Sicily in addition to 8,000 copies of a weekly produced for the Eighth Army. Two thousand five hundred copies of the "Eighth Army News" are produced daily in Syracuse and are distributed from there.