§ 45. Mr. Harrisonasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will consider permitting larger allocations of materials for the manufacture of utility mattresses and thereby establish conditions that will keep in employment a number of manufacturing plants in the Nottingham area.
§ Mr. BelcherThe principal material concerned is ticking. Ticking is in very strong overseas demand, especially in dollar markets, and the need to increase textile exports is so urgent that it is not possible at present to earmark more production for home use. Everything practicable is being done to ensure that supplies of other items, such as springs and hessian, are kept in step.
§ Mr. HarrisonWill my hon. Friend re-examine the method of allocating the supplies of raw material between non-utility and utility production?
§ Mr. BelcherPerhaps my hon. Friend will let me have some idea of what he has in mind, and then I will consider it.