I have been asked by the Trustees of the British Museum to present a Petition, which they have to submit to this House each year, explaining their financial position and praying for aid. The Petition recites the funded income of the Trustees, and points out that the establishment is, necessarily, attended with an expense far beyond the annual production of the funds, and the Trust cannot, with benefit to the public, be carried on without the aid of Parliament. It concludes with this Prayer:

"Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray your Honourable House to grant them such further support towards enabling them to carry on the execution of the Trust reposed in them by Parliament, for the general benefit of learning and useful knowledge, as to your House shall seem meet."—(Queen's Recommendation signified.)

I have been asked to present a Petition by 6,588 residents of Slough, Eton and neighbouring towns and villages. It opens in the prescribed form and shows that a decision has been reached to close Colinswood Maternity Home, that this decision will mean that many expectant mothers will have no opportunity to enter a maternity home, that it will cause grievous suffering because of the overcrowded homes in Slough and the continued use of hutments for accommodation, that the need for provision for mothers will be greatly increased by the new population of 17,000 which is to be accommodated on two new London County Council housing estates, and that in the area of Eton and other neighbouring towns and villages there is no adequate maternity home accommodation and the need is specially great because of the considerable caravan population. The Prayer of the Petitioners is as follows

"Wherefore your Petitioners pray that the Colinswood Maternity Home shall not be closed until adequate alternative provision has been made for the expectant mothers of Slough and neighbouring towns and villages, and your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray."