§ 58. Mr. A. Edwardsasked the Minister of Supply what steps he is taking to see that all the scrap-iron of the Empire is sent to this country; and in particular whether we are buying the amounts that have hitherto been sold by Australia to Japan?
§ Colonel LlewellinSpecial arrangements have been made in co-operation with the Governments concerned to obtain supplies of iron and steel scrap, so far as practicable, from the Dominions and Colonies.
§ Mr. EdwardsIs the hon. and gallant Member able to say that the supply of scrap iron from Australia to Japan has been stopped?
§ Colonel LlewellinThat is no concern of the Ministry of Supply, but I can tell the hon. Member that the Australian iron and steel industry is working to full capacity and is probably eating up all the available scrap in Australia.
§ Mr. EdwardsIs the hon. and gallant Member not aware that the Australian Dominion Secretary has admitted that hundreds of thousands of tons of scrap iron are going to Japan and that the quantity is increasing each month? What steps are the Ministry taking to see that these supplies come to this country instead of to Japan?
§ Colonel LlewellinIt is not too easy a matter, for obvious reasons, to bring large quantities of scrap iron on this long haul from Australia to this country, and there are other and more important cargoes to take up shipping space. We prefer to take scrap iron from sources nearer to this country.
§ Mr. MathersCan the hon. and gallant Member say whether all the metal which is represented by the trophies of previous wars are being commandeered and utilised to meet the need?
§ Colonel LlewellinThat is a rather different question. We are trying to collect some of these guns, and we hope at the end of the war to be able to replace them with similar trophies taken from the enemy.
§ Mr. ThorneIs the Department doing its best to collect all the scrap in this country?