§ MR. J. M. MACLEAN (Oldham)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that much dissatisfaction prevails in Lancashire regarding the constitution of the Committee on European Commercial Treaties, as there is no member of the Committee connected with the cotton industry except Sir Joseph Lee, who represents the merchants rather than the spinners and manufacturers.
§ * SIR M. HICKS BEACHNo, Sir, I am not aware that much dissatisfaction prevails in Lancashire on this subject. Sir Joseph Lee is a spinner, weaver, and printer, as well as a merchant. I have, however, received representations from Oldham to the effect that that town desires special representation on the Committee, but it is impossible to comply with such requests from individual towns. The points which gave so much trouble in 1881 were not so much on the yarn duties as on the textiles, with the various surcharges for embroidery, printing, &c.