48. Mr. RAMSAYasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the import duties advisory board has made any report to him in regard to its policy, or if he has any information as to when it will do so?
§ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER (Mr. Chamberlain)I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 9th March last in reply to a question put by my hon. Friend the Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander), of which I am sending him a copy.
Mr. RAMSAYIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the business and commercial community are having very great difficulty in making their future arrangements, because they do not know whether this Board will support a general policy of tariffs or a particular policy of tariffs or any policy of tariffs at all, and will he use his influence with the Board to get an early declaration of policy from them?
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINI might remind my hon. Friend of a notice issued by the Committee to the Press on 9th March, in which they said:
In view of the short period remaining for the expiration of the Abnormal Importations (Customs Duties) Act, 1931, the Committee will obviously have to be guided at the outset mainly by considerations of a general character, leaving for later review the detailed circumstances affect rig particular industries and trades and individual classes of articles.
Mr. RAMSAYBut will the right hon. Gentleman have in mind that the business community is very seriously disturbed by the fact that the Government have now been in operation for five months without succeeding in getting rid of industrial depression, and will he personally make an endeavour to give the business community the information necessary?
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe Committee has not been appointed for five months. It has been in operation only a short time, and I do not think there is any call for me to interfere at this stage.