§ 59. Mr. Remerasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the recent reduction of the importation of Opel cars is due to the fact that there is no more room at Southampton to store them; and, in view of the heavy importation during the first three months of this year and the probability that there will be further large importations as soon as storage space is available, will he take prompt steps to deal with this grave injury to the British motor car industry?
§ Mr. CrossI am informed by General Motors, Limited, that the large imports in the early months of the year were made to take advantage of favourable freight arrangements at that time, and that it is not proposed to replace sales made in the near future by further importations.
§ Mr. RemerHas my hon. Friend seen photographs of the motor cars at Southampton Docks, in garages, where thousands are being kept for many days, and will he, in view of the large number of people who have been put out of work in British motor car factories, look into the question again?
§ Mr. CrossI cannot accept the last part of my hon. Friend's suggestion, because my information is that the sales of these cars are smaller than they were last year.
§ Mr. RemerWill my hon. Friend make further inquiries, when he will find out that these cars are being sold and that British workers are being put out of work, that thousands of people are being turned out of work in one factory alone?
§ Mr. G. StraussWill the Minister inquire from General Motors whether in fact it was the intention of this Company to import 10,000 Opel cars into this country this year?