§ MR. EVELYN CECIL (Aston Manor)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, referring to a reply which he gave on 24th March, 1903, † any further action has been taken towards establishing a small permanent Committee or Commercial Defence Committee, consisting of members of the Admiralty, Board of Trade, Colonial Office, and Post Office, and trade representatives, to watch the development of foreign competition, and consider from time to time what steps are required to meet it.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI have great sympathy with the objects of my hon. friend; but I confess that at present,
† See (4) Debates, cxx., 64.1264 without giving a definite pledge on the subject, I am not able to convince myself that the machinery which he proposes would be effective for the object which he desires to carry out.