66. Captain BENNasked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Committee of Inquiry which is investigating the complaint of the Associated Glass Bottle Manufacturers' Association under Part II. of the Safeguarding of Industries Act has received any instructions from the Board of Trade as to excepting from the scope of this inquiry any bottles which may be imported into this country already filled: and whether he will withdraw this instruction, seeing that it would discriminate very harshly against those British manufacturers who import empty bottles in order to fill them in this country?
65. Captain COOTEasked the. President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the alarm created in the minds of manufacturers of table waters by his decision that any order made under Part II of the Safeguarding of Industries Act, as a result of the Report of the Committee at present inquiring into the case of glass bottles, will not apply to filled bottles; and whether, to avoid giving a preference to the foreign manufacturer at. the expense of the home producer, he will make any such order apply to filled glass bottles.
§ Mr. BALDWINI have received no representations to the effect indicated in the latter question. The complainants having specifically restricted their complaint to empty bottles, the Board of Trade informed the Committee that their terms of reference were to be understood as relating only to empty bottles and not to filled bottles. The users of empty bottles will, of course, have full opportunity to give evidence before the Committee on the effect which the imposition of a duty would exert on employment in their respective industries. If a complaint is made with regard to filled bottles, the Board will consider whether anyprimâ facie case exists for reference to the Committee.
Captain BENNDoes not the taxation of empty bottles, and not full bottles, put a bounty on the industry of filling the bottles abroad?
§ Mr. BALDWINI think an interesting point will arise.
§ Mr. W. THORNEIs not the right hon. Gentleman sick and tired of answering these questions day after day, and will he recommend the repeal of the Act?