HC Deb 14 March 1947 vol 434 cc1800-10

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House do now adjourn."—[Mr. Snow.]

Mr. Speaker

May I remind hon. Members that at half-past four a reception is being held in the Royal Gallery by the Lord Chancellor and myself to the Soviet Delegation?

3.58 p.m.

Mrs. Nichol (Bradford, North)

My purpose in rising on the Adjournment Motion is to draw the attention of the House to the shortage of educational textbooks. A considerable time has elapsed since I had an urge to raise this matter on the Adjournment but, unlike good wine, it has not improved with keeping. On the contrary, the position has grown a great deal worse. The daily pile of paper in the wastepaper baskets in this House is a constant testimony to the amount of paper which is available for what some, of us think to be very- questionable purposes—a good deal of propaganda, advertising, and so on. We know also that there is a steady stream of quite worthless reading matter available in bookshops and on bookstalls, and, as was revealed in a recent Debate in this House, a vast amount of paper is devoted to football pools and the like. All this makes the position of this paper shortage for educational textbooks extremely puzzling.

It being Four o'Clock, the Motion for the Adjournment of the House lapsed, without Question put.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House do now adjourn."—[Mr. Snow.]

Mrs. Nichol

The situation regarding the reprinting of standard textbooks is extremely serious because it is hampering the work of teachers, tutors, and, of course, students as well. Teaching in the schools is particularly affected, and in the secondary and grammar schools where the classes have to be larger than the desired number of 30 the shortage of even hall a dozen textbooks throws serious work completely out of gear. Put simply, the position is this. In prewar years the publishers kept a reserve tank full, and during the war, and especially after the raids upon the publishing area of Paternoster Row, where many millions of books were destroyed, this great reserve vanished. Since then, books which are printed fill only the bottom of the tank and are immediately used up by overdue orders.

Again, during the war, evacuation and the occupation of school premises by other organisations such as the N.F.S. and similar bodies, led to the loss of literally scores of thousands of books. I do not know the exact figure but it is probably even hundreds of thousands. The result is that those textbooks which were lost then are having to be replaced now, and the books which are in use are dilapidated and over-used, and in happier times many of them would have been discarded long since. The quota on which the country schools could manage during the war, is of course, no longer adequate.

Further, the return of men and women from the Forces, the overcrowding in the colleges and universities, and the emergency training scheme have all given a great impetus to the demand for advanced textbooks. Then, in April of this year, through the raising of the school leaving age, we are to retain another 500,000 children in our schools, all of which adds to the already very heavy demand for books. In addition there are evening schools and extra-mural work. A headmaster told me only this morning that in his school there is a diploma course in engineering going on, and that it can only continue because they borrow the mathematical books from his day school.

The position is really hopeless. At the beginning of the war the educational institutions managed on the reserve of hooks which was built up by the publishers, and that alone made it possible for work to continue, although the publishers were cut to 60 per cent. of their basic ration of paper. That ration was based on the reference year of 1939. That was a bad year, because of the disturbed state of the country after Munich, which had discouraged publishing. By 1941. that 60 per cent. had been reduced to 37½ per cent.

As far back as 4th November, 1943, the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Saffron Walden (Mr. R. A. Butler), who was then President of the Board of Education, admitted that the shortage of books was hampering the schools, and stated that as the books wore out, the difficulties would increase. That was a very guarded under-statement, because even at that moment 5,000 educational books had gone out of print. The number increased greatly as the war continued. The percentage of paper allocated to the publishers was allowed to increase slowly. By 1945, it was still only 50 per cent. of the 1939 quota. In the year which has ended, the percentage reached the figure of 80, with an extra 10 per cent. for exports. This would appear to make the publishers perfectly happy, and so it would, if that precious tank was full. The tank is not full, and because of that, the publishers are having a bad time.

The economies which can be practised with certain types of literature cannot be practised with educational books, because most of them are printed from plates. Types cannot easily be altered, and the margins never were generous. Nor can savings be made by substitutes. As the publishers put it, if 70 copies of "Smith's" arithmetic are in use, and 30 extra copies are required, it is not much help to send 30 copies of "Brown's" arithmetic. What it means is that a 100 copies of someone else's has to be substituted, and this is a very wasteful method. It is much more economical to keep "Smith's" arithmetic in print. The publishers are at their wits end to know how to keep these good textbooks in print, and they have been driven to all sorts of uneconomic methods, giving extra work to printers and binders, in order to keep going. One educational publisher stated that he was short of 50 tons of paper for his reprint requirements. Where can he get it? It may be said from the pool, but it depends on how many applications are already in. Even if he is successful, there is a time-lag of nine months before the textbooks can be published. The pool has been most valuable. I have consulted two or three publishers since I had in mind raising this matter on the Adjournment, and they are extremely appreciative of that piece of machinery, which helps to keep things ticking over. They say, without the pool, the position would have been desperate in the extreme.

I now wish to deal with the matter from the point of view of the head of a school. Miss Smith sends in her order. The publisher says, "Reprinting—no date." If it is binding—not merely a reprinting—one of the large educational suppliers may get an order accepted. But Miss Smith's order is at the bottom of the list, and may remain there until the end of the school financial year, so that she misses that reprint altogether. The position regarding set books for examinations is simply grotesque, and we are endangering our whole educational system. I know headmasters who are receiving textbooks for examinations after the examinations are over. One headmaster told me, this morning, that "Julius Caesar" was the set book for an examination taking place next July, that he had ordered a certain edition of this work last July, but had not got it yet. He said that he was managing with a very poor edition which he would have discarded, in normal circumstances, long ago.

Mr. Guy (Poplar, South)

Is my hon. Friend referring to one special area, or is this general?

Mrs. Nichol

I am referring, not only to schools in my constituency, but to schools all over the country. I am complaining about a paper shortage which is hampering the work of universities, schools and educational institutions of all kinds. Publishers get a quota of paper Those publishing newspapers, magazines and catalogues get their quota. During the war, many got a great deal more than they needed, or probably do so today. What becomes of all that extra paper that some publishers do not require? I can only suggest that it probably finds its way on to the black market. Any surplus paper should have been returned to the paper reserve. This should have been enforced by Government authority. Would it be possible for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Education to find out from schools and important educational suppliers which books are in the greatest demand, and in the shortest supply, and that a special paper ration be granted to meet the need? Much ephemeral literature is printed on good paper, sometimes on much better paper than that which is used for lasting works. We all see the glossy magazines and the two colour printing which, I believe, is printed on what is called callendered paper and is an expensive process. No one going on a railway journey, and choosing newspapers, etc., at a bookstall, can fail to be confronted with a mass of really worthless literature, and much of it printed on good paper.

It must be remembered that the demand for textbooks and standard works in the upper forms of schools has grown tremendously in recent years, and that the 1939 standard no longer exists. If educational publishers are to build up the reserves they used to have their quota must be, not 60 per cent. of the 1939 standard, but more than 100 per cent. The 1939 figure was based on the amount of paper needed to maintain stocks, not to replace them. It is this great replacement that must be undertaken. I have no hesitation in asking the Minister of Education to do this, because I am sure that he realises its tremendous importance. Could a method be devised for diverting more paper to the pool for educational purposes, or increasing the percentage to the educational, technical, scientific, professional and university publishers?

Can the Minister give some information about the relative allocation of paper to the main users? I had the figures for 1944; as they are not recent their chief value would be to show that educational books, as usual, come at the bottom of the list. I am perhaps a little cynical about the way in which education has been treated in the past. The allocation in 1944 was: Newspapers, 250,000 tons. I am told that that paper does not affect educational books, and I am prepared to count that out; His Majesty's Stationery Office, 100,000 tons; periodicals, 55,000 tons; War Office, 25,000 tons; and books, including educational books, are at the bottom with 22,000 tons. They are not recent figures, and if they could be brought up to date, I should appreciate it.

Owing to the present emergency and the need for a reduction of printing and binding, I suggest that the Minister in consultation with the Minister of Education and the Minister of Labour should give consideration to priority in labour power and materials to the printers and binders of educational textbooks. It is not a question to be settled in consultation with the Publishers' Association, because it would place them in a very invidious position. It is a problem which should be settled on national grounds and not on vested interests. In case hon. Members may think that I am exaggerating this shortage, may I read a paragraph of a letter which came into my possession, written by a gentleman connected with one of the most important educational publishing houses in the country: There is, in my opinion, going to be a serious crisis this year, far worse than anything yet felt, and there cannot, now, be any improvement in 1948. Unless something is done to give priority to essential books, there will actually be at least 50 per cent. less schoolbooks flowing out from the publishers' warehouses in 1947–48 than there were during 1946–47. And that at the very moment when 500,000 more children are being retained at school. Therefore, may I ask that the decision on licences be reviewed? The recent increase in licences for periodicals, many of them printed on glossy paper, has worsened the position to such an extent that the quota for educational publishers cannot always be honoured. I know that there is the great difficulty of labour, and a tremendous number of workers have not returned to the printing trade. In a recent White Paper on economic relations between employers and employed, we were told that 90,000 workers have not returned to the printing trade—that is, there are 90,000 fewer than in 1939. It is no use having the paper, if we cannot get the labour; this has to be a co-ordinated affair.

May we know what has happened to the hundreds of thousands of educational books which the Services used in connection with an extremely useful and valuable educational scheme? Cannot the shelves be combed for the thousands of books that may be there, and can they be put into use? I feel that we are living in an age when new ideas should count for everything—new ideas in all phases of life. We have to meet them with a challenge, and young people—medical students, teachers, architects, engineers and agriculturists—all of whom are studying for their jobs, must have the books which are as necessary to them as food is to nourish their bodies. For tutors and teachers, these books are the very tools of their trade. They can no more work without them than a bricklayer can work without bricks and trowels. I hope that we shall not hold up the stream of educational books; we cannot afford to do it. I therefore urge that the Government should look into the matter immediately with a view to rectifying the great and serious shortage in educational textbooks.

4.21 p.m.

Mr. Eric Fletcher (Islington, East)

I intervene for a moment to support everything that the hon. Lady has said, and to congratulate her upon having raised this matter, which is of great social and educational importance. I speak as a former member of the education committee of the London County Council and would stress the fact that at the present moment the shortage of educational textbooks in London alone exceeds one million. It really does not make sense to raise the school leaving age to 15 unless the Government also make arrangements to increase the supply not only of educational textbooks, but also of the classics of English literature, so many of which are out of print.

Apart from the difficulty of obtaining educational textbooks, it is insufficiently appreciated how difficult it is to buy many of the great English classics. A friend of mine who tried to buy an English classic the other day, tells me that one cannot now get a copy of any of the following books: "Vanity Fair" or "Esmond", by Thackeray, "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", by Thomas Hardy, "Jane Eyre", by Charlotte Brontë, "Tom Jones", by Fielding, "Tristram Shandy", by Sterne, "The Mill on the Floss", by George Eliot, to mention only a few.

Mrs. Nichol

And "Alice in Wonderland".

Mr. Fletcher

In view of the dearth of good literature for the reading public today, I hope that the Minister will make arrangements for a greater supply of paper, in order that educational textbooks and English classics may once more be available in adequate numbers.

4.23 p.m.

Mr. Harold Wilson (Secretary for Overseas Trade)

The subject which the hon. Lady has raised this afternoon is of very great importance. It is one about which we are all concerned. The schools have been even worse off than the universities in this matter, and from the brief experience I had of university teaching just before I came here, I can testify that the universities have been pretty badly hit. I certainly found it was so in the field of economic textbooks—

Mrs. Florence Paton (Rushcliffe)

That is true also of the primary schools.

Mr. Wilson

From inquiries I have been able to make, it is true to say that though paper has undoubtedly been in shorter supply than we should like it to be, paper has not been the only or the chief difficulty. It is partly a question of labour and, to a very considerable extent, to a shortage of machinery and equipment, especially on the bookbinding side. Paper is far from being easy to supply, and the trouble of recent weeks will make the situation rather worse, I am afraid. The hon. Lady quoted evidence she has received on the subject of growing difficulty of paper supply and she suggested that I should review the arrangements for priority, to see whether we could, in some way, get more paper allocated to the purposes to which she referred. We shall give very careful consideration to the proposals she made, in view of the difficulties. In that connection I am sure that my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education has noted the suggestions which the hon. Lady made about finding out which particular books are in shortest supply, in order to see what special action can be taken to improve the position.

Mr. Cove (Aberavon)

What about textbooks for examinations?

Mr. Wilson

I have no doubt that will be one of the things which my hon. Friend will look into. He tells me that, as far as possible, examiners are trying to choose books which they know to be in less difficult supply than others. I hope that they will continue to do that.

Mr. Cove

There is some co-operation about that? I know that a lot of students have difficulty in grammar schools and universities where books are set for examinations. I know a number of cases where students cannot get the books which are set for an examination. It seems to me to be an absolutely absurd situation.

Mr. Wilson

I think that point was made with great emphasis by the hon. Member for North Bradford (Mrs. Nichol). In regard to the remarks about books in the Services, I can say that they have been pretty well combed through. Of course, it is possible to have another look at it, but my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education tells me that, already, a large number of books have been sent from the Services to the emergency training colleges where they are desperately needed. I have the figures about allocations, for which the hon. Lady asked, but it might be convenient if I made them available in another way, and if I now deal with the specific points which she raised.

Paper is allocated to established book publishers on the basis of prewar consumption. The percentage, which was 37½ per cent. at the worst period of the war, is now 80 per cent. That is more than double the 1945 quota. By such economies as they can make in setting up the books, the publishers are now producing more books from the same quantity of paper. The hon. Lady referred to the special reserve of paper held for books of particular importance, and she paid some tribute to the work that has been done. There were 1,210 applications for paper for educational books and, as a matter of fact, 953, that is practically 80 per cent. of these, were granted. I am sure that the books which are in particularly difficult supply are best dealt with in this way.

Mr. Kenneth Lindsay (Combined English Universities)

Are they not specialist books?

Mr. Wilson

No, not entirely.

Mr. Lindsay

Ordinary school books?

Mr. Wilson

Yes. Generally, they are with particular reference to the sixth form and universities, and specially they are technical books. Of course, there have been attempts to get books from ex-students by advertising and, in addition, the Government have granted an open licence for the free import of books from other countries. In many cases that does not help to deal with the particular problem of set books, especially where examiners have the habit of specifying particular editions with notes and cribs attached to them. As I think my hon. Friend was stressing, the problem is not so much the fact that few books are being printed now, but that stocks have fallen to such a low level.

Mrs. Nichol

And paper is used for less worthy purposes.

Mr. Wilson

I think my hon. Friend will realise the extreme difficulty, if paper is allocated for books, of attempting to impose a censorship as between the worthiness and the relative unworthiness of the books that are printed. It would be extremely difficult to do that, and it would be better to concentrate on the Moberley pool to which reference has been made.

I now turn from the question of paper—which I am sure has not been the principal difficulty—to the question of labour. The manpower in the publishing and printing trades now stands at about 81 per cent. of its prewar strength. It is growing, and it has grown very rapidly during the last 18 months or so. Of course, as I said, we are not yet back to the prewar figure.

In regard to machinery, this has been one of our biggest difficulties. Five thousand machines were destroyed during the war, and such machinery as is left has suffered six more years of wear and tear, just as the books have suffered wear and tear during this period. I am sure the hon. Lady will agree that some of the hooks which we had at elementary and secondary schools in Yorkshire before the war were pretty dilapidated, and at that time there were no difficulties about printing. At present, the situation for the delivery of home-produced printing equipment is extremely difficult. Delivery dates are something like 18 months to two and a half years from the date of order. That is chiefly due to the lack of casting and foundry equip- ment. The same is true of the machinery which we have to import from abroad. We have had to import a considerable amount of machinery and we are experiencing great difficulty. The chief difficulty is found in the book binding section, even more than in the printing section. I am afraid that there is not time to discuss our difficulties there. We recognise the difficulties to which the hon. Member for North Bradford has referred. It is a problem that can only be solved over a considerable period of time. I do not think, in view of recent troubles, that we can hold out great hope that there will be more paper. Anything that may be done, by looking into the question of priorities, I can assure her will be done. I am quite sure that the Minister of Education will be glad to co-operate in any way.

4.29 p.m.

Mr. Kenneth Lindsay (Combined English Universities)

We have heard a very interesting speech and we are grateful to the hon. Lady who raised this question. I have been on deputations in regard to this matter, and I think we expect from this Government in particular a little more co-operation between the Minister of Education, the Minister of Labour and whoever is responsible at the Board of Trade. May I make this last appeal to my hon. Friend, who I know is just as anxious as we are to leave no stone unturned—

It being Half-past Four o'Clock, Mr. DEPUTY-SPEAKER adjourned the House, without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.