§ 65. Sir John Jarvisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Import Duties on steel rolls were removed on 3rd July last; why the order giving effect to this was not brought to the notice of the House; whether he is aware that the result will be to give a preference to American roll makers, although rolls of equal, and even better, quality than those made in America are now being manufactured in England, many of them in a Special Area; and whether this is a reversal of the Government policy to save shipping space and reduce unemployment?
§ Sir K. WoodThe Import Duties on most varieties of machinery and parts, including steel rolls, were removed by the Treasury on 3rd July last, in view of the facts that such machinery and parts were no longer licensed for import unless they were necessary in the public interest and unprocurable in this country, that a large proportion of such imports was already admitted duty free under licence and that most of the duty actually paid was ultimately borne by the Government. I believe that this decision was generally welcomed. As regards the second part of the Question, I announced the decision in the House on 4th July in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for East Middlesbrough (Mr. A. Edwards), and the relevant Treasury Order was presented to this House, in accordance with the law, on 9th July. The suggestions made in the third and fourth parts of the Question must, I think, be based on a misapprehension. The Order will have no effect on the volume of steel rolls imported into this country, since every such importation requires a Board of Trade import licence, which would only be granted if home supplies were inadequate.