§ MR. AUSTIN TAYLOR (Liverpool, East Toxteth)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has I been called to a recent combination of Scottish steel makers, whereby a minimum price with heavy penalties has been fixed for Scotland, while these makers are delivering steel at lower prices in the Midlands; and, if so, whether the Government intend to take any steps to protect English steel makers against this form of competition.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralI am aware of the combination alluded to in the Question. The matter is not one which seems to call for any action on the part of the Government.
§ *MR. SPEAKERThis is the Question which on Thursday last the hon. Member 307 complained had been made incomprehensible by an alteration made at the Table without notice to him. I promised at the time to make inquiry. I have done so. I have ascertained that the Clerks at the Table did inform the hon. Member formally of the alteration they were making. I have seen the manuscript, and I find that the Question was rendered incomprehensible, not by any alteration made at the Table, but by the omission on the part of the printers of a certain word. I think when the hon. Member saw the Question on the Notice Paper, and before he made a charge publicly in this House against the Clerks, he should have communicated privately with me, then he would have obtained this explanation.
§ MR. AUSTIN TAYLORthanked Mr. Speaker for his courtesy. Of course, he had dealt only with the Question on the Paper, and he hoped the printers would be more careful in future.