§ 77. Sir P. Hannonasked the President of the Board of Trade to state as at the nearest convenient date the volume and value f.o.b. of bulk purchases of timber since 1st January, 1948; and the change in price per standard during this period.
§ The President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Harold Wilson)I presume the hon. Member is referring to softwood, of which public purchases in the year 1948 amounted to 927,797 standards. It would not be in accord with normal practice to state contract prices, but the monthly Trade and Navigation Accounts give the total quantity and landed value of arrivals of all kinds of timber. In general the trend of prices in 1948 was downwards.
§ Sir P. HannonIs the President of the Board of Trade satisfied that the supply of timber is increasing and that the price will be reduced?
§ Mr. WilsonI am certainly satisfied that timber is being bought as cheaply as possible and that we should see further reductions in price. I am not, however, satisfied with the supply on the softwood side.