I move:—
That a supplementary sum, not exceeding £849, be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1943, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Ordnance Survery and of Minor Services including the Facsimile Reproduction of Ancient Manuscripts.
This Supplementary Estimate has been necessitated by (a) emergency bonus increases estimated to cost £1,100, and (b) a falling off in receipts estimated at £550 from sale of ordnance survey maps.
The excess provision required is only £849 as it is anticipated that there will be savings amounting to £801 on various sub-heads as follows: salaries, £480; travelling, £56; stores, £120, due to economies and difficulty of getting supplies; photographic and printing equipment, £140, due to purchases costing less than anticipated, and reproduction of ancient manuscripts, £5. With the cessation of tourist traffic, the demand for small-scale maps fell much below normal, and sales of the larger scales have been adversely affected by falling off in building operations, road construction, etc. There is also a restriction on the purchase of small-scale maps, which can only be obtained under licence. No new supplies have been issued to the provincial agents, while stocks have been withdrawn from others.