§ 27. Mr. REMERasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will reconsider his decision not to put into operation the recommendations of the Safeguarding Committee on Wool, in view of the fact that it has been followed by the closing down of certain mills, with resulting unemployment?
§ Mr. W. GRAHAMThe answer is in the negative, for the reasons which I gave to the House in the Debate on the Address.
§ Mr. REMERIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that a very large mill in Wharfdale has closed down, and is he going to take any action in the matter?
§ Mr. LEACHDoes my right hon. Friend not know that there is not the remotest connection between the closing of any Yorkshire mill and the refusal of Safeguarding?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is a matter for debate.
§ 28 and 29. Brigadier-General Sir HENRY CROFTasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether, in view of the desirability of ascertaining the full employment results before repealing or allowing the McKenna and Safeguarding duties to lapse, he will take steps to insist upon the fullest information being given regarding employment both now and prior to the imposition of duties by all the industries concerned;
(2) whether in view of the recommendation of the Balfour Committee that every Safeguarding Duty should automatically be submitted to a Committee for review about a year before the date fixed for its expiration in order to obtain the necessary material for a decision by the Government as to the desirability or otherwise of proposing an extension of the duty, he is prepared to take this course with regard to the Safeguarding and McKenna Duties?
§ Mr. GRAHAMThe decisions of the Government both as to the Safeguarding and the McKenna Duties Have been announced in the debate on the Address. I do not propose to institute any special inquiries in these cases. The ordinary statistics of imports and exports and of employment will, of course, continue to be available.
§ Sir H. CROFTIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the statistics, so far, with regard to unemployment, are in no way complete, and could he not insist, in order that this House may know the results, that the true state of employment should be shown in every industry that is benefiting from this Safeguarding?
§ Mr. GRAHAMI have no doubt that every effort will be made to get as complete figures as possible in the ordinary field of employment, but I read the hon. and gallant Member's question as referring more particularly to Safeguarded industries.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe right hon. Gentleman has spoken about exports and imports, but does he not agree that in order to have a complete picture of an industry it is necessary to have the figures of production as well as the exports and imports, and will he try to obtain from 1069 these industries, following what the last Government did, complete figures of production?
§ Mr. GRAHAMNo doubt every effort will be made in that direction. I am all in favour of the most complete statistical material, but I have made the position plain as regards these Safeguarding Duties.
§ Sir H. CROFTIs it the policy of the Government not to follow the recommendations of the Balfour Committee and to have no re-examination of these industries as recommended by that Committee?
§ Mr. GRAHAMThat was plainly indicated during the debate on the Address. The Government have decided to abandon the White Paper, and, that being so, it would be futile to hold inquiries into the condition of these industries.
Commander WILLIAMSIf the right hon. Gentleman could get the complete figures, would it not help the Government's thinking department?
32. Major THOMASasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, before any of the existing Safeguarding and McKenna Duties are discontinued, he will enter into conversations with representatives of those foreign countries whose tariffs are a hindrance to British exporters, with a view to securing reciprocal reductions of duty?
§ Mr. GRAHAMI would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply given yesterday by the Secretary to the Department of Overseas Trade to the hon. Member for Moseley (Mr. Hannon), a copy of which I am sending him.