HC Deb 03 July 1947 vol 439 cc1493-4
34. Mr. Mikardo

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he anticipates that the director of the British Institute of Management will be appointed.

Sir S. Cripps

The appointment of a director is a matter for the Council of the Institute, and I am sure that they are alive to the importance of filling the post as soon as possible.

Mr. Mikardo

Is my right hon. Friend aware that after many months of delay during the presentation of the report and the appointment of the Council, there has now been something like six months' delay during which the Council has done nothing at all; and are we really proposing to do something for British manufacturers, or is this merely the putting up of a facade?

Quantity. Country of Manufacture. Price. Delivery. Intended Use.
(1) Cotton piece goods (loom state). 64,000,000 Japan 6.96–17.93 pence per yd. f.o.b.Japanese port. Nearly 26,000,000 yds. have been landed in U.K., 13,000,000 yds. have been shipped; balance to be shipped soon. For finishing and re-export to Burma and certain Colonial territories
(2) Silk and silk and rayon mixture piece goods. 800,000 yds. Germany 7s.6d.-8s.6d. per yd. to U.K. purchaser. About 100,000 yds. have been delivered. Delivery of balance not yet known. One-third for home con-sumption two - thirds for export (including export in made-up form).
(3) Cotton yarn About 500 tons. Germany 19 pence per lb. for processing (raw cotton sup-supplied by U.K.). 334 tons delivered; balance to be delivered by end of year. Manufacture of lace for export.
(4) Linen yarn 75 metric tons. Germany 5s. 11¼ 10s. 5d. per kilo, f.o.b. All delivered. Weaving for export.

The above goods have been, or are being, re-sold to United Kingdom manu-

Sir S. Cripps

I do not agree with the hon. Member that the Council has done nothing at all. It has done a great deal of preliminary work, of which there is much to be done