§ 13. Sir John Mellorasked the President of the Board of Trade why, having regard to the superior qualities of natural, as compared with synthetic, rubber, 11,970 tons of the former were sold to the U.S.A. for 20¼ U.S. cents per pound f.o.b. Malaya in February, while as much as 18½ U.S. cents per pound c.i.f. United Kingdom port were paid to the U.S.A. for 1,917 tons of the latter; and whether he will arrange for British requirements of natural rubber to be satisfied before it is shipped to foreign countries.
§ Sir S. CrippsNatural rubber being in short supply is under international allocation and, in the period to which the hon. Member refers, it was necessary to supplement our allocation of natural rubber by supplies of synthetic rubber from the U.S.A. The price charged to us for this synthetic rubber, c.i.f. United Kingdom ports, was the same as the price to consumers, ex plant in the U.S.A. There 1653 has recently been a substantial improvement in the supplies of natural rubber, and our current allocations will enable British manufacturers to revert wholly to natural rubber by the end of September. No further imports of general purpose synthetic rubber are contemplated.