19. Mr. NEWDEGATEased the President of the Board of Trade if he will ascertain by what means the German commercial agent, who assured representatives of British industry that after the War Germany would speedily undersell British trade, obtained a ticket to visit the British Industries Exhibition, at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, on 11th May, as such tickets are issued by the Board of Trade?
Mr. RUNCIMANUpwards of 45,000 invitations have been issued by the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of Trade, most of the names having been obtained from lists of customers supplied by exhibiting firms. Every effort was made to prevent any of these invitations falling into unfriendly hands, but the hon. Member will appreciate the great difficulty of ensuring this absolutely when dealing with such large numbers.