§ 70. Mr. Austinasked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent it is the policy of His Majesty's Government to seek to withhold labour and raw materials from firms in dollar-earning industries, who refuse to respond to the Government's appeal in this connection.
§ Mr. BottomleyIt is the Government's policy to discriminate in favour of firms which are engaged in dollar export trade and to make available to them adequate supplies of scarce materials. The first preference system of filling labour vacancies is exercised in favour of exporters to dollar areas.
§ Mr. OsborneAgain on this point, would not the Minister agree that all textile manufactures have done their best in answer to the request of the Chancellor to export to dollar countries, and would not the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Austin) be better employed playing tiddlywinks?
§ Mr. AustinWhere my right hon. Friend finds that there is a hard core of industrialists and traders who will not co-operate with the Government, will he take steps to apply economic sanctions to affect the profits, which is the only thing they understand?