§ 75. Mr. Byersasked the President of the Board of Trade what consultation his Department had with manufacturers', wholesalers' and retailers' representatives in the blanket trade before the announcement was made that blankets would in future be docket free; and whether he will make a statement on the letter sent to the wholesalers on 24th December by his Department indicating that dockets were to be regarded as necessary in certain cases.
§ Mr. BelcherRepresentatives of the manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers were consulted in confidence before the decision was taken to end the docket system for blankets. As regards the second part of the Question, the letter of 24th December did not indicate that dockets were to be regarded as necessary in any case but only that supplies would continue to be made available to meet dockets outstanding in retailers' and wholesalers' hands on 19th December.