§ Mr. Charles Woodasked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware of the widely held opinion that artistic railings and gates are still being wastefully torn up; whether he is satisfied that, owing to the abundance of scrap, the need for these to be requisitioned still exists; and why it is considered necessary to seize gates as well as railings.
§ Sir A. DuncanNo, Sir. Great care has been taken by my Noble Friend the Minister of Works to ensure the preservation of ironwork of real artistic merit or historic interest. Subject to this, the continued demand for good melting scrap makes it necessary to continue to collect not only railings but gates, which form a substantial proportion of recoveries.