§ 88. Mr. Osborneasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the price of tin fell from £1,615 a ton in February, 1951, to £900 in April, 1953, and has now slumped to £585; what effect he anticipates this will have either directly or indirectly, upon the economy of our Colonial Territories; and what discussions Her Majesty's Government are having with the United States Government to prevent a general price slump in all raw materials produced in the Colonies.
§ Mr. LytteltonYes. The fall in tin prices is bound to do considerable harm to the economies of Malaya and Nigeria, but it is not possible at this stage to estimate it precisely.
46WHer Majesty's Government are engaged in international discussions, in which the United States Government are also taking part, about tin, rubber, sugar and cotton. These have as their object the stabilising of supply and demand and prices.