§ 56. Dr. Segalasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether in view of the general usefulness of the weekly index to HANSARD for purposes of reference, he will in future incorporate in the binding of each weekly HANSARD, the index to HANSARD of the previous week.
§ Mr. Glenvil HallNo, Sir. It would add 3d. to the cost of the weekly HANSARD, use an extra 10 tons of paper a year, delay the delivery of the Index, and make it impossible for the separate Indexes to be assembled together in a convenient form.
§ Dr. SegalWould not the Minister be good enough to have another look into this matter? Is he not aware that in these days of restricted newsprint any easier means of access to accurate information is very necessary to an enlightened electorate; and would he not agree that the extra revenue derived from this Index is a quite negligible consideration?
§ Mr. Glenvil HallWe are anxious to help to the utmost of our ability hon. Members and those who take HANSARD. We have gone into this, and I can assure the House that it would be difficult to print the Index with the weekly HANSARD a week late. Those who want it can buy it; they can then keep the Indexes together and refer to them in that way.
§ Mr. Glenvil HallThe weekly edition is now selling something round about, if not more than, 11,000 copies a week.
§ Mr. R. S. HudsonIs it really a fact that if the weekly edition is being sold to the extent of 11,000 a week—which we all welcome—the Indexes are not being sold to the same extent? Surely, everyone who regularly takes the weekly HANSARD also buys the Index?
§ Mr. Glenvil HallThat is not so. For some reason, some people do not desire to go to the extra expense, and they do not take the Index week by week.