§ COLONEL HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade when the Report long since received by the Foreign Office from Her Majesty's Ambassador at Berlin upon the importation of German prison-made goods to compete with free British labour is to be published, and brought to the knowledge of the operatives in the brush trade, the whip trade, and other industries suffering, in their opinion, from the illicit competition of foreign convicts; and if he has personally communicated with the commissioner of The Hardwareman journal despatched to inquire into this traffic, 1222 whose sworn testimony has been submitted to him, or done anything whatever in the matter?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. BRYCE,) Aberdeen, S.As I informed my hon. Friend in answer to a question of his towards the end of last month, the Report received from Her Majesty's Representative at Berlin regarding goods made in German prisons will be published as soon as the other Reports relating to the same subject, including that expected from France, have been received, and I hope that these further Reports will very soon arrive. As regards the second paragraph of the question, the inquiries made upon this subject have been made, as is always the case, through the Diplomatic Service of Her Majesty, that being the authorised channel for obtaining information from foreign countries, and no communications have been made to the Press or private agencies in the matter.
§ COLONEL HOWARD VINCENTHas the right hon. Gentleman made any inquiry into this matter personally, or have the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs, seeing the great interest taken in it in all parts of the world, where British trade is found?