§ Mr. Russellasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give a brief account of the new industries established in Malta in recent years; how they are progressing; and the extent to which they depend on markets overseas.
100W
§ Mr. LytteltonI have been furnished by Maltese Ministers with the following information. Local industries established since 1945 are: beer brewing, manufacture of buttons, collapsible iron gates, boots and shoes, gloves, handbags, hosiery, mineral waters, motor vehicle bodies, nails and screws, neon signs, oxygen gas for industrial use, paper bags, pipes, plastics, electrical and household goods, shoulder pads, steel apertures and furniture, textiles, tomato paste, wicker baskets and furniture. All raw materials for these industries are imported. Progress in local sales is satisfactory. The products exported are beer, buttons, handbags, hosiery, pipes, plastic goods and textiles. Maltese Ministers also drew attention to the limitations on preference under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.