§ 66. Miss Wilkinsonasked the Minister of Economic Warfare whether he is aware that considerable quantities of feeding-stuffs have been offered in Balkan countries to His Majesty's Government; that when His Majesty's Government refused to buy them they were bought by Germany; that Germany has since sent them to the Scandinavian countries against payment in dollars; and whether, in view of the short sea route and the paramount need of such feeding-stuffs in this country, the question of price was the deciding factor, or whether any effort was made to divert these supplies?
§ Mr. CrossAs regards the first part of the Question, some feeding-stuffs have been offered in Balkan countries to His Majesty's Government, but it would be an exaggeration to describe them as considerable. Certain quantities of feeding-stuffs have been bought in these countries, though, of course, I am not in a position to give details. It is the policy of His Majesty's Government to purchase feeding-stuffs in the Balkan countries in so far as opportunity offers, and price is not necessarily the deciding factor. As regards the second part of the Question, I am aware that substantial quantities have been bought by Germany. I have, however, seen no reliable evidence to support the suggestion in the third part of the Question.
§ Miss WilkinsonWould the Minister mind reading the trade papers on this matter, as they deal with all those points and with the evidence?
§ Mr. CrossIn that case the trade papers must be considerably in error, because I have a certain amount of information on this subject on which I can place great reliance.
§ Miss WilkinsonWith regard to Scandinavia?