§ 64. Sir T. Mooreasked the President of the Board of Trade why any increase of paper supplies has been refused to the newspaper industry since the raw material is now available in the sterling area.
§ Mr. Ellis SmithAny substantial increase in newsprint supplies must involve additional expenditure in hard currencies and in existing circumstances this cannot be permitted.
§ Sir T. MooreAs this is very important, may I ask the hon. Gentleman to say why additional paper is being released for weekly publications which rarely publish Parliamentary reports, whereas the daily papers, which do publish them, have been deprived of the capacity of placing the Parliamentary news before the public? Is there some sinister motive behind the Government's decision?
§ Mr. SmithThe first part is correct. As regards the second part, I should have thought there was no need to ask a supplementary question of that character.
§ Mr. SmithBecause hon. Members ought to be aware of it, without asking "Why?" In regard to the first part, it is true that there is limited newsprint available in Finland, Sweden and Norway. In the case of Sweden, it would mean paying hard currency, and, in view of the serious economic position, we are not at the present time, balancing one thing against another, able to afford to pay hard currency.