§ Mr. Driberg (Maldon)I do not know if the Noble Lord has been reassured by what we have just learned, but I think he is to be congratulated on having elicited this extra information. I was rather glad that the hon. Member for South Bristol (Mr. A. Walkden) spoke and showed that love and appreciation of the fine arts are not the prerogative of any one side or section of this House or of the country. Despite the ruthless realism of the hon. Member for Burslem (Mr. MacLaren)—and I agree with much that he said—I am inclined to agree also with much of the Noble Lord's proposals. I particularly welcomed his suggestion that there should be a lowering of the age limit on antiques, because I remember 1177 how often the Schedule of Ancient Monuments has been weakened, or indeed frustrated, by such a limit. I think it stops at 1714, or some such date, which really marks the beginning of one of our finest periods of domestic architecture. On the other hand, when one comes to works of art by living artists, contretemps do sometimes occur. For instance, there is an Import Duty on works of art on the other side; and a year or two ago, when a piece of sculpture by, I think, Henry Moore, perhaps our greatest living sculptor, was sent to America, the Customs officials refused to impose any duty on it on the ground that it was not a work of art at all but merely a shapeless lump of stone.
Having said that, I hope the Noble Lord and his Friends will not count the House out, in the two minutes that remain before we start to celebrate Pentecost, if I pass to a totally different subject and read rapidly a letter that I have received in connection with the arrangements for the Forces to register as voters. I have not given the War Office notice of this but, of course, the unit concerned will be communicated to them:
May I draw your attention to a matter in connection with A.F.B. 2626. … While it may be true that there are adequate numbers of forms available in units throughout the Army, the procedure necessary to fill in A.F.B. 2626, at least in this unit, is not calculated to ensure that the maximum number of soldiers exercise their vote. … It involves making a written application to the O.C. intimating that one desires to com- 1178 plete the form, followed by the necessary parade outside the O.C.'s office. I have no way of knowing whether this is a general procedure throughout the Army, but I do submit that it constitutes a definite psychological hazard resulting in a mere handful of very politically conscious soldiers taking the necessary steps ….The Secretary of State has been very forthcoming with his answers on this subject, and I hope he will do his best to ensure not merely that the War Office directions are thorough and explicit, but that they are actually carried out in units.This again is a matter in which all Members can be interested—particularly, perhaps, my Conservative friends, because, although I believe that there is, in fact, this swing to the Left that we hear of, and that the Progressive forces will secure a sweeping victory at the next Election, at the same time it would be equally disastrous for the Tories if only a few politically-conscious soldiers voted, because they depend for their present and past dominance on the politically unconscious.
§ Mr. Austin Hopkinson (Mossley)In the moment that remains I wish to draw your attention to a matter which has given rise to great comment—
§ It being the hour appointed for the Adjournment of the House, Mr. DEPUTY-SPEAKER adjourned the House, without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order, till Tuesday, 6th June, pursuant to the Resolution of the House this day.