§ 59. Mr. A. M SAMUELasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that full-fashioned lisle hose were recently being offered in London by German manufacturers at less than 1s. 805 per pair; and will he ascertain from manufacturers in Nottingham and Leicester and then state the lowest price at which they can deliver similar goods of British manufacture?
§ Mr. GILLETTI am aware that the average import price of cotton hose is less than 1s. a pair, but I have no information as to the prices being quoted by German manufacturers. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.
§ 60. Mr. SAMUELasked the President of the Board of Trade the number of dozen pairs of cotton hose imported during the first quarter of the present year; and, if there has been an increase on the corresponding period of last year, will he state the percentage increase of cotton hose imports over the figures for the corresponding period of last year?
§ Mr. GILLETTAs the hon. Member will find stated in the Trade and Navigation Accounts for March, 1930, the total number of stockings and hose of cotton, or of which the chief value is cotton, imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland, registered during the period 1st January to 31st March, 1930, was 1,360,326 dozen pairs, compared with 987,193 dozen pairs during the corresponding period of 1929, or an increase of about 38 per cent.
§ Mr. SAMUELDoes the hon. Gentleman now realise that the importation of foreign-made hose exceeds our whole domestic production?
§ Mr. GILLETTThe hon. Member is no doubt aware that the last Government instituted an inquiry into this trade and decided that nothing could be done.
§ Mr. REMERWill the hon. Member pass his answer on to the First Commissioner of Works in view of the latter's speech last week?