§ 22. Sir T. Mooreasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the supply of magazines and other reading matter available for the Navy is adequate to meet the demands; and whether any action is being taken?
§ The First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. A. V. Alexander)For an account of the arrangements for the supply at Government expense of magazines and other literature to the Navy, I would refer my Hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Ormskirk (Commander King-Hall) on and June. My hon. Friend may be interested to know that during the 12 months ending 31st March, 1943, the Royal Naval War Libraries supplied no fewer than 600,000 books of various kinds to the Fleet, of which it is estimated that about half were magazines. Although periodical shortages in supplies on board are inevitable owing to ships' movements, no representations have been made to the Admiralty that the supply of books and magazines is not adequate. As regards daily newspapers, there are considerable difficulties, 'but this of course is a shortage which the Navy shares with the community at large. The possibility of an increased supply of newspapers to the Navy in common with the other Services is, however, at present being considered.