§ 47. Brigadier Raynerasked the Lord President of the Council whether arrangements will be made to devote a large part of the 1951 Exhibition to a display of Empire products and potentialities.
§ The Lord President of the Council (Mr. Herbert Morrison)The Festival of Britain, 1951, to which the hon. and gallant Member presumably refers, will include a number of exhibitions in various parts of the country as described in the recent announcement by the Festival Council, of which I am furnishing him a copy. I cannot ask the Council of the Festival to include exhibits from other Commonwealth countries which would be outside the general scope of the exhibitions, but the Festival Council have already assured me of their concern that suitable Commonwealth contributions shall be displayed within the general scope of the Festival Exhibitions and events.
§ Brigadier RaynerWill the Lord President of the Council reconsider what he has said in this direction? Will he remember the tremendous increase in Commonwealth trade after the Empire Exhibition of 1924 and would he try to see that there is an important section of this 1951 Exhibition given over to Commonwealth and Empire interests pending the staging of another big Empire exhibition later on?
§ Mr. MorrisonI think the hon. and gallant Member is possibly a little confused between the 1951 Festival and the Industrial Fair. The trade aspects of these matters are, of course, within the scope of the British Industries Fair. That will be held in 1951, in close association with the Festival, and I gather that the Fair includes a Commonwealth section. I think, perhaps, if the hon. and gallant Member were to put himself into communication with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade he might find the response favourable.