§ 71. Sir W. Smithersasked the President of the Board of Trade what is the amount of the stocks of cotton held by His Majesty's Government; what is the cost price; and what is the present price obtainable in world markets.
§ Mr. RhodesStocks of cotton are not held by His Majesty's Government. The greater part of such stocks in the United Kingdom is held by the Raw Cotton Commission and the remainder by consumers; they amounted to 282,000 tons at the end of January, 1950. It is not possible to say what these stocks would realise on world markets, nor can I give information about the prices paid.