§ Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the widespread dissatisfaction among local authorities as to high rates charged for exhibitions and road safety propaganda by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents; that some local authorities state they cannot afford the high charges made for the Society's exhibitions and find it cheaper to arrange their own exhibitions and printing; and, in view of the large quantities of printing that the Society can order at a time, what is the reason for the high rates charged, especially in view of the £96,000 subsidy received by the Society from the Government.
§ Mr. BarnesI am aware that some local authorities feel that certain charges made by the Society, particularly for the hire of exhibitions, are on the high side, but their charges generally are designed to cover actual costs only, including, in the case of exhibitions, the heavy cost of construction, maintenance, transport and depreciation. Investigation has shown that the Society carry out their work in an economical and business-like10W way. The Government subsidy meets the cost of much work, such as propaganda, which yields no financial return, and represents the difference between approved expenditure and receipts.