Mr. MURRAY MACDONALDasked the President of the Board of Trade if he can give information as to the constitution, functions, and procedure of the Commission Internationale de Ravitaillement; and whether its operations are such as to put an unnecessary restriction on the supply of British goods to the Allied Governments?
Mr. RUNCIMANThe Commission Internationale de Ravitaillement (International Commission for the Purchase of Supplies) was established in August, 1914, as a result of an agreement with the French Government, its object being to co-ordinate the purchase of food supplies, munitions of war, and military and naval equipment by the two Governments; to prevent harmful competition in the same markets and a consequent inflation of prices; to place the French Government in communication with firms who are capable of carrying out orders satisfactorily and at a reasonable price, and to spread the orders in such a way as to distribute employment, and thus accelerate delivery. The scope of the Commission has since been extended to cover280W purchases made on behalf of the other Allied Governments. The Commission consists of delegates of these Governments and of representatives of the Admiralty, War Office, Foreign Office, Board of Trade and Board of Agriculture. Articles intended for the use of an Allied Government are not in every case actually purchased by the delegates on the Commission of the Government concerned, but, if the export of such articles is prohibited by Proclamation, application for permission to export them must be made to the Commission before the order is placed. Upon receipt of a written statement from the Ministry of War or Marine or other Department concerned that the articles are really required by their Government the Commission give special consideration to the application, and permission to export is then only withheld if it is within the knowledge of His Majesty's Government that the export of these articles would cause detriment to the supplies of the Allied Governments considered as a whole. No restriction is, of course, placed upon the supply, either directly or indirectly, to the Allied Governments of articles the export of which is not prohibited. Applications for permission to export goods of which the export has been prohibited by Proclamation and which are required not for Government use but for ordinary industrial purposes do not come within the scope of the International Commission, but should be addressed to the War Trade Department, 4. Central Buildings, Storey's Gate, Westminster, S.W.