§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the President of the Board of Trade whether the business of the Pera Cigarette Company, owned by Reshid Sadi Bey, an interned Turk, has been sold to Marcus Weinberg, 1334W a naturalised Russian; and whether he will consider the possibility of securing that purchasers of enemy businesses should be British-born subjects?
Mr. D. WARDThe reply to the first part of the hon. Member's question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part of the question, the conditions of sale in all these cases include a requirement that the purchaser shall be a British subject, and not under any foreign influence; but, as a general rule, my right hon. Friend does not regard it as necessary or desirable to impose the additional requirement that purchasers must be British by birth.
§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet sold the alien business of the London Emery Works, or whether, on the contrary, he has arranged with the Minister of Munitions to allocate supplies of emery stone to this business in preference to others; and whether he is aware that British emery firms arc running on short rations?
Mr. WARDThe business of the London Emery Works cannot be disposed of until an action against the Controller for specific performance of an agreement for the sale of the business has-been heard. Pending the determination of the case, the Ministry of Munitions have been requested to allocate supplies of emery stone to the business, but not in preference to other businesses.