§ Sir R. THOMASasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the recommendations of the Consultative Committee of the League of Nations that, in the interests of international trade, every effort should be made to reduce the number of types and specifications of manufactured articles; and what steps he proposes to take to initiate a movement in British industry for simplification along these lines?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. A certain amount of progress in simplification has been made in recent years in various industries, under the auspices of the British Engineering Standards Association and otherwise; and recently, largely as the result of a discussion at the last Imperial Conference, steps have been taken to extend the movement through the establishment of a Central Committee representing manufacturers, distributors and users in this country, under the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade.