§ 16. Mr. Brockwayasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will propose an industry and trade exhibition in the United Kingdom for Commonwealth, Colonial, and Trusteeship territories to focus attention on the mutual benefits of complementary trading agreements with these territories.
§ Sir D. EcclesI would refer the hon. Member to the Answer which I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Arundel and Shoreham (Captain Kerby) on 18th February.
§ Mr. BrockwayI have read that Answer. Will the right hon. Gentleman show a little more enterprise and imagination in these matters? Is he aware that the Iron Curtain countries are holding exhibitions of this character and that 1023 the Japanese Government have a large floating exhibition which is travelling the seas? Surely, we should be doing something to extend trade with the Commonwealth and the Colonies and utilise their enormous potentials for our sterling trade.
§ Sir D. EcclesI am certainly well aware of what the hon. Member has said, but he will also be aware that there is a limit to the number of exhibitions we can put on in any one year, limited not only by Government finance but by what the trades concerned can do. We take advice on this matter from traders, and they think that the present policy in regard to exhibitions gives the best results from our limited resources.