§ Sir W. de FRECEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his Department has any evidence to the effect that payments are being made to German gas-mantle manufacturers to prevent them sending over gas mantles to this country?
§ Mr. H. WILLIAMSI understand that shortly after the imposition of the Safeguarding Duty an agreement was made between the British manufacturers and the German cartel which had been subsidising exportation to Great Britain, as a result of which foreign imports into this country have been reduced to trivial proportions. Under this agreement certain compensatory payments are made to the cartel by the British manufacturers.