§ 39 and 40. Captain STRICKLANDasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether his attention has been drawn to the inconvenience to British manufacturers caused by the short notice of the official quarterly distribution of imported goods given by the Danish authorities, and the delay extending from three to six 721 weeks into the quarter in issuing supplementary licences; and whether, in any new trade agreement with Denmark, he will endeavour to secure that this hindrance to British trade budgeting is remedied;
(2) whether, as the decrease in the imports of British manufactured goods into Denmark and their replacement by the importation of raw materials and semi-manufactured goods is not in accordance with the terms of the trade agreement with that country, he will, in any new agreement, safeguard the interests of British manufacturers and their employés?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe points raised in both questions will be borne in mind during the forthcoming negotiations.
§ Captain STRICKLANDWill my right hon. Friend also bear in mind the fact that the supplementary licences which are granted are often in excess of the original permits given at the beginning of the quarter?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThat is one of the points which we shall emphasise.
§ Mr. HOLDSWORTHAre the textile interests being consulted with regard to the difficulty of getting licences to export goods to Denmark?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANWe have been in close touch with the textile and other interests on this subject and are following them up.