§ 64. Mr. Haireasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his search for substitute materials for wool, cotton, hessian and other scarce textile materials.
§ Mr. RhodesThere is a world shortage of all textile materials and there are, for practical purposes, no substitutes in plentiful supply for wool, cotton or hessian. The International Materials Conference has invited His Majesty's Government and a number of other interested Governments to be represented on a Cotton and Cotton Linters Committee and a Wool Committee which will shortly meet in Washington to consider what may be done to meet these shortages. We shall also be represented on the Sulphur Committee convened in Washington to consider the shortage of this material, which is limiting United Kingdom production of rayon among other things.
Though there is no quick and easy solution to these textile material shortages, we are doing our utmost to lessen their impact on our economy. In this we are, of course, seeking the advice and help of our own textile industries, and as my right hon. Friend informed the House on 9th February in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Batley and Morley (Dr. Broughton), a Textile Fibres Advisory Committee has recently been set up under my chairmanship to advise the Government about problems arising from shortages of textile materials.