§ 72. Mr. de ROTHSCHILDasked the Minister of Agriculture which of the delegations to the preparatory wheat conference at Rome introduced the question of import organisations?
§ Dr. ADDISONThe question of imports organisations as such was not discussed by the conference prior to the submission to the Committee on Production and Trade by its chairman of the draft resolution referred to in my reply to a question on this subject put by the hon. Member on 27th April last. It may be presumed that this draft resolution was the result of a speech made on the previous day by one of the delegates of Czechoslovakia in which he urged the importance of developing co-operative organisations in each country.
§ Mr. de ROTHSCHILDWhy did not the British delegate bring before this conference the subject of import boards?
§ Dr. ADDISONIf someone else brought up the question it was hardly necessary for him to do so.
§ Mr. de ROTHSCHILDDoes that mean that the Government are giving up the policy of import boards?
§ Dr. ADDISONThat has no relation whatever to this matter.
§ Mr. BROCKWAYWhen this question was raised at the conference did the British delegate support it?
§ Dr. ADDISONI should require notice of that question.
76. Mr. MACLEANasked the Minister of Agriculture how many representatives of the Government will act as delegates to the wheat conference at Canada House, London, on 18th May; and the names of the delegates?
§ Dr. ADDISONThe conference to which my hon. Friend refers is confined to wheat-exporting countries and, consequently, the question of a delegation from this country does not arise.
Mr. MACLEANAs this is merely an adjournment of the conference from Rome, and the Government was represented there, may we take it that Great Britain is not going to be represented at this particular conference?
§ Dr. ADDISONThis is a matter which arises out of the Rome conference. It is a conference of wheat-exporting countries, and of course this country is not a wheat-exporting country.
Mr. MACLEANWill the British Government be represented at the conference to he held this month at Canada House?
§ Dr. ADDISONPerhaps my hon. Friend will put that question on the Order Paper.
§ Dr. ADDISONI have already answered that we are sending no delegates to this meeting, because we are not a wheat-exporting country.
Mr. MACLEANIs it not the case that wheat-exporting countries were represented at Rome, and that this is merely an adjourned part of that conference?
§ Dr. ADDISONNo, my hon. Friend has been misinformed. Many countries were represented at Rome, including our own, which were wheat-importing countries, but this is a special conference asked for by the wheat-exporting countries.