§ Sir W. de FRECEasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that the Wissington factory, in Norfolk, is being machined, as far as process machinery is concerned, by the Skoda Company; and whether, as this company is not British, but Czechoslovakian, he will state the reason?
Mr. WOODThis factory is complying with the statutory requirement that 75 per cent. of the plant and machinery shall be of British manufacture, and so far as the process machinery is concerned, the cost of that supplied by British manufacturers is not less than £90,000, compared with £23,000 for that supplied by the Skoda Company. I am informed that the machinery supplied by 1549W the Skoda Company could not be obtained in this country in time for this year's campaign.