§ As foreshadowed in the statement issued after the recent meeting in the Hague, discussions have been resumed during the past week between representatives of the United Kingdom and Netherlands Governments in regard to the development of trade and payments between the sterling area and the guilder area.
§ An agreement has been reached under which the Netherlands will ship to the United Kingdom, later this year, such quantities as can be spared from the relatively small surpluses available of cheese, condensed milk, eggs and bacon. These shipments will not go very far towards relieving the shortage of these commodities in the United Kingdom, but they will represent a useful beginning towards restoring the Netherlands to its old position in the United Kingdom market.
§ The Netherlands Delegation were assured that there could he no doubt that the United Kingdom would want as much of Holland's exportable surpluses of these commodities as Holland is prepared to send to the United Kingdom, at any rate until the end of 1949, and that the United Kingdom would undoubtedly provide a market for these commodities in substantial quantities in the years beyond. It was agreed on both sides that in view of the uncertainty regarding the supply of feeding stuffs, it would not be convenient at present to attempt to conclude definite agreements for the purchase of these products in 1948 and 1949, but that a further meeting would be arranged in September, 1947, with that object in view.
§ The possibility of importing into the United Kingdom other agricultural and industrial products at present available for export in the Netherlands was further reviewed, and the impressions gained in the Hague discussions that increases in the total imports into the United Kingdom could be achieved was confirmed.
§ The two Delegations agreed that it would be to the mutual advantage of the two countries to maintain close collaboration on all financial and economic questions, as their problems are comparable in many ways.