§ Mr. David Adamsasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware of complaints by owners of newspapers in Jamaica and other West Indian islands that, whilst there are abundant stocks of newsprint, their supplies have been so rationed as to compel them to reduce the number of the pages of their newspapers from a quarter to one-sixth of normal; and what steps he is taking to help them?
§ Colonel StanleyOnly one such complaint, which was published in a news-1726W paper in Jamaica, has been brought to my notice, and this is being investigated. As I stated in reply to a Question on 2nd December by the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Mr. Riley), restrictions have been introduced, at the request of my predecessor, in Jamaica and certain other West Indian Colonies limiting weekly and daily issues of newspapers to a maximum of six pages per issue or 36 pages per six issues. These restrictions, which are applied to all newspapers alike, were introduced in order to save shipping space, and I do not consider that they impose any undue hardship on the owners of the newspapers.