§ 4. Miss RATHBONEasked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether his attention has been called to the fact that the exports of nickel to Grermany have doubled and those to Holland have increased six-fold during the first six months of 1933 as compared with the corresponding period in 1932, and that during recent weeks a German agent of the Farbenindustrie Corporation of Frankfurt-am-Main has been negotiating in Canada the purchase of 10,000 tons of unmanufactured nickel for immediate delivery in Germany; and, in view of this recent increase in the export of nickel from Canada to Germany and Holland, will he state whether his Department is in correspondence with the Canadian Government for the purpose of mutual assurance that the increased exports of nickel from Great Britain and Canada are not being used for the purpose of German re-armament?
Mr. J. H. THOMASI am aware of the figures given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade in reply to the hon. Member for Aberavon (Mr. Cove) and the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Lunn) on the 14th November. I have no information, beyond what has appeared in the Press, concerning the reported purchases of nickel in Canada by a German firm. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer to the reply given by my right hon.
1470 Friend to a somewhat similar inquiry by the hon. Member on the 28th November.
§ Sir ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUELIn order to get to the bottom of this matter, would it be possible to ascertain from the German Government by a friendly question whether this nickel is used for recoining or not?
§ Miss RATHBONEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the abnormal imports from Canada into Germany and neighbouring countries are exciting very great alarm in Canada itself; and will the right hon. Gentleman consider some exchange of information with Canada on the subject?
Mr. THOMASI would rather put it that they were exciting considerable interest in Canada. It is very difficult, and I am not sure that I am in a position to say that I can ask the German or any other Government what is the real object of purchases that they make My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has informed the House that his information is that the Germans use the nickel largely for coinage. I cannot go beyond that.
§ Miss RATHBONEMay we know whether the Government have no sources of information regarding the destination of imports into Germany except the information given by the German Government; and do the Government regard that as a reliable source of information?