§ 21. Mr. Challenasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that all the contracts for the 1,000 mile pipeline to be laid from Saudi Arabia to the Mediterranean have been placed with U.S. companies; and what efforts were made to obtain some of these contracts for Great Britain.
§ Sir S. CrippsNo, Sir; but I understand that the pipeline to which the hon. Member refers is one which a United States oil concessionaire in Saudi Arabia is known to have under consideration. There314W would, of course, be no obligation on the American company to afford an opportunity for British participation in its construction, but if it did so I am informed that United Kingdom manufacturers are not even in a position to supply all the needs of British oil companies for pipeline equipment, and therefore there would be no point in their attempting to secure part of any contracts with an American oil company at the present time.