Mr. Davidsonasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has considered the statement sent to him by the Glasgow and West of Scotland Retail Hatters and Hosiers Association on 20th September, 1939; and has he any statement to make?
§ Mr. StanleyI have considered the letter to which the hon. Member refers. It has been made clear on several occasions and most recently in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Lowestoft (Mr. Loftus) on 21st September, that material additions to charges on current sales cannot be justified by reference to the cost of compulsory insurance, and that for the great majority of goods the addition warranted on this account should be substantially less than 2 per cent. Inquiries are being made into the particular case to which attention was drawn in the letter from the association.