HC Deb 12 March 1959 vol 601 cc1439-40
25. Mr. Oram

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of suggestions by tea producers that there should be a revival of the international tea agreement; and whether, in accordance with the Report of the Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference, he will arrange for Commonwealth talks on this matter.

Sir D. Eccles

Tea producers in certain countries have been considering this suggestion for some time. If we were asked to arrange Commonwealth talks, we should look at this sympathetically.

Mr. Oram

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider taking the initiative himself rather than waiting for the initiative to come from elsewhere? Is not it important that consumer countries as well as producer countries should be represented in any talks, and that, if the producers take the initiative, the agreement which may result may well be on the lines of the previous one of producers only? Is not modern thinking on these matters very much on the lines of having equal representation of consumer and producer countries?

Sir D. Eccles

I quite agree with the hon. Gentleman that consumers ought to be represented in such agreements. But, as I understand it, the producers as a whole are not yet agreed on a request for talks and I think that we must wait to see whether they are.