Major BARNESasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has ordered another inquiry to consider the advisability of placing a duty under Part II of the Safeguarding of Industries Act on imported gas mantles: if so, whether he is aware than an inquiry under Part I of the Act has already been held; that this inquiry extended over several months and involved an expenditure of several thousands of pounds; and whether, seeing that these continuous inquiries are a serious embarrassment to trade, he will allow a reasonable time to elapse before a second inquiry in respect of the same article?
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§ Mr. BALDWINA complaint relating to gas mantles manufactured in Germany has been referred to a Committee under Part II of the Act. The answer to the second and third parts of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the last part of the question, the hon. and gallant Member must bear in mind that the inquiries under the Act are made on the application of the trade interests concerned, and that the two inquiries to which he refers relate to entirely different questions, namely, in the one case, the interpretation of the Schedule of Key Industries, and, in the second case, to alleged dumping due to depreciation of foreign currency.