§ Captain BOWYERasked the Chancellor of the; Exchequer what loans Canada and the United States of America have made to our Allies to be taken in the form of merchandise; the amount of such loans to each individual country and the terms of the loans; whether the British Government proposes to take any steps to place the British manufacturers in a position of equality with Canadian and American manufacturers; and, if so, whether he will consider the desirability of immediate action?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI am not in a position to answer the first three parts of the question. His Majesty's Government, in addition to providing £12,500,000 for1374W relief and reconstruction in Europe, have provided a credit of £9,000,000 for the Belgian Government to be used for the purchase of materials for reconstruction, and have rendered considerable help to the Italian Government. The question of direct assistance to British export trade to Eastern Europe is being carefully considered by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade in consultation with banking and trading interests, but it is obvious that in the present position of our own foreign indebtedness and the state of our exchanges with the countries from which we must import food and raw materials that the greatest circumspection has to be exercised in regard to such commitments.