§ 90. Captain BOWYERasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the agents of British firms in foreign countries are finding themselves unable to obtain contracts for British firms owing to the necessity for the tenders to contain a conditional clause safe guarding the firm in the event of fluctuation of wages and cost of materials being increased; whether he is aware that they are thus prevented from quoting a fixed price in the tender; that as a result cases have occurred in which a foreign tender has been accepted although the price was higher than that quoted in the British tender owing to the fact that it was a fixed price, whereas the British tender quoted a price conditional on the fluctuation of wages and prices; and what steps it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to take to enable British firms to compete with foreign firms on equal grounds in this respect?
Mr. BRIDGE MANUntil commercial and industrial conditions become more stable, it is, I am afraid, inevitable that British manufacturers should find difficulty in quoting firm prices, but I trust that the early settlement of outstanding wage questions will be conducive to greater stability at an early date.