§ 84. Mr. Haireasked the Economic Secretary to the Treasury how much steel is now allocated to the building, mining and railway wagon industries for the manufacture of commodities which were made of timber before the war.
§ The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Douglas Jay)I am afraid that information in the form sought by the hon. Member is not available.
§ Mr. HaireNow that timber is more plentiful, would it not be advisable to stop this wasteful use of steel, and direct it into the export trade?
§ Mr. JayI agree that there is need for re-examination of this problem. We are making a thorough examination of the possibilities of substitution between steel and timber and other relevant materials.