HC Deb 23 November 1936 vol 318 cc14-5
22 and 23. Mr. ELLIS SMITH

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department (1) whether he will make arrangements for exhibitions to be held to enable people to submit exhibits of British art and industry in preparation for the British pavilion at the Paris Fair to be held in 1937;

(2) what arrangements have been made to give pottery manufacturers and designers fair and equal opportunity, with proper notice, to produce and submit for adjudication articles for exhibition at the British pavilion at the Paris Fair, 1937?

Captain EUAN WALLACE (Secretary, Overseas Trade Department)

The Council for Art and Industry have, at the invitation of His Majesty's Government, undertaken responsibility for the selection of exhibits and for their arrangement and display in the United Kingdom pavilion at the Paris Exhibition of Industrial Art to be held next year. The arrangements made by the Council for discharging that responsibility are described in the printed brochure which I sent to the hon. Member on 14th September. Information on the subject of the forthcoming exhibition and the proposed participation by His Majesty's Government was circulated to the Press some months ago: and steps were taken through the medium of the trade associations concerned in the various industries, to secure that the facts were made known as widely as possible. In regard to the pottery industry, a special display was arranged by the Pottery Manufacturers Association at Burslem last week, to enable further articles to be submitted to the searchers. I cannot in these circumstances accept the proposal made in the hon. Member's first question.

Mr. SMITH

May I be allowed to thank the right hon. and gallant Gentleman and the Department for the attention given to this matter?

Sir ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUEL

Has the right hon. and gallant Gentleman made any representations to the French Government asking them to reduce the duties on the relative British goods, so that when the French public want to buy them from the samples exhibited we may be able to sell them to France?

Captain WALLACE

That does not arise out of the question.