§ Mr. PETOasked the President of the Board of Trade whether there was any regular means of obtaining an official Government chemical analysis in this country; if not, whether he was aware that in France, Germany, and Russia such official analyses were a regular part of the trade systems of those countries, and that, in the absence of means of obtaining such official guarantee of the chemical contents of samples, British traders were placed at a disadvantage both in cases of dispute with foreign Customs authorities and in offering samples in order to effect sales in foreign countries, and in settling disputes with foreign traders as to deliveries; and whether he would arrange for the Government laboratory at the Customs House, London, E.C., to undertake such analyses in future and grant certificates, as was done by foreign countries, on payment of a fee that would not compete with the business of private analysts?
Mr. ROBERTSONThere are no regular means of obtaining official analyses of samples, but in certain cases, where apparent hardship has been caused to British traders by foreign Customs decisions, analyses of the goods in question have been obtained from the Government Laboratory or from the Imperial Institute. I have not, up to the present, been aware of any dissatisfaction among British traders in this respect, but if the hon. Member has any definite information to that effect I shall be glad to consider it.