§ Mr. MACMILLANasked the President of the Board of Trade what efforts have been made by his Department in recent years to secure co-operation between British exporters for the avoidance of unnecessary competition between each other and the more adequate representation of British goods in foreign markets; and what success has attended those efforts?
§ Major COLVILLEMy Department and its overseas officers have persistently advocated the adoption, under modern conditions, of co-operative action among exporters and the more adequate representation of British goods as a means of meeting powerful competition in overseas markets. Stress has been laid on the importance of such co-operation in the reports of trade missions and specialised trade investigations sent out in recent years. A number of trades which are strongly organised have already taken effective action for the elimination of unnecessary competition, and groups of individual firms in other trades have been formed for the purpose of joint selling in oversea markets. Continuous efforts are being made to secure the more general adoption of this form of organisation. As an example of steps being taken for the more adequate representation of British goods in foreign markets, I would draw attention to the action of the British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers Association who, with the cooperation and support of the Department of Overseas Trade, have decided to send to Buenos Aires a technically qualified man to undertake joint representation of their common interests.