§ Mr. PERRINGasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the present terms of Mr. Montague Meyer's appointment as timber buyer; whether he has now ceased to buy any timber in view of the end of timber control; whether Sir James Ball and Mr. Meyer are at present in the United States of America, and what is the object of their visit; when will Mr. Meyer's appointment terminate; and is he debarred from any private trade?
§ Sir A. GEDDESThe effect of the agreement with Mr. Meyer's firm, which was entered into by the Office of Works in July, 1916, is that they give up all private trading in timber and devote the whole of their time to dealing with timber for the Government. All the expenses of the firm and remuneration at the rate of£11,000 per annum are paid by the Government. Purchasing by the Government timber buyers has ceased, and the visit of Sir James Ball and Mr. Meyer to the United States and Canada is primarily in connection with arrangements for bringing forward purchases already made. In regard to the termination of the appointment it is as yet impossible for any definite date to be fixed as the disposal of large quantities of Government stocks of timber has yet to be arranged.