§ Mr. REMERasked the President of the Board of Trade whether Mr. M. L. Meyer, acting as officer on his behalf, sold to Messrs. Hillas, of Hull, 500 standards of flooring boards, in January last, at £31 per standard, landed against a market price at that date of about £39 c.i.f.; whether Mr. Meyer gave open unsecured credit to Messrs. Hillas amounting to approximately £750,000; whether he is aware that one of the principals of Messrs. Hillas's firm sat daily in Mr. Meyer's office; whether he is aware of rumours in the timber trade that Mr. Meyer is a partner in Messrs. Hillas's business as also in others to which he was selling on behalf of the Governrment; and whether, in view of these rumours, he will cause a committee of inquiry to be set up with full power to examine the books of Messrs. Hillas and other firms, and to examine Mr. Meyer's passbooks and private paper's?
§ Sir P. LLOYD-GREAMEApproximately 470 standards of flooring boards were sold by the Imported Timber Disposal Section to Messrs. Hillas in January last at £31 per standard which was the price charged to other firms for clearing similar parcels. The greater part of this lot had been lying in the yards for over two years, and owing to its having been stacked by unskilled labour had deteriorated. The value of the contracts entered into with Messrs. Hillas was approximately £600,000, delivery being spread over a long period. Their present liability is £98,000, but as delivery has still to be given of certain lots of timber their actual liability probably does not exceed £50,000. I am not aware that any member of the firm was accommodated in Mr. Meyer's office nor of the rumours referrd to in the question. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.