§ 13. Captain MARTINasked the President of the Board of Trade if he has received any reply to his representations regarding the decree of the French Government prohibiting the importation of British silk goods into France; whether he is aware that serious hardship is being inflicted on over 1,300 workpeople in Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Braintree, Halstead, Frome, and Bocking, including ex-soldiers; and if he is aware that, unless concessions are made promptly, the old British industry of the manufacture of mourning crépe, which can scarcely be called a luxury, and which is practically the only silk fabric imported into France, is not only threatened with a temporary stoppage, but with permanent extinction?
§ 12. Sir FORTESCUE FLANNERYasked the President of the Board of Trade if he can yet state the progress made with the negotiations between the British and French Governments as to reciprocity in duties on the import and export of silk crépe, with a view to prevent 990 further damage to the crépe manufacture in Braintree and other British towns?
§ Sir R. HORNENo official reply has yet been received from the French Government to the representations which have been made to them in favour of the withdrawal of the import prohibition in respect of silk mourning crépe, but as I stated in reply to a question put by the hon. Member for Frome on the 28th June, I have been given reason to hope that silk mourning crépe will not be included in the revised list of prohibited goods which the French Government are about to issue. I am fully alive to the very serious effect which the maintenance of the prohibition would have on this important branch of the British silk manufacturing industry.