§ Mr. Chamberlainasked the Minister of Fuel and Power why imports of motor spirit into this country from Iran, paid for in sterling, have fallen from 25 per cent. of our total consumption in 1946 to 3.7 per cent. for the first nine months of 1947, while imports from dollar areas are in the region of 60 per cent.
§ Mr. GaitskellThe shortage of tanker tonnage throughout the present year has made it necessary to ensure that all tankers in the British companies' services, whether company-owned or on charter, are used in the most economical way. For this reason tankers have been employed to a greater extent during the year on the shorter haul voyage from the Netherlands West Indies and U.S. Gulf to the U.K. than on the longer haul from the Persian Gulf to the. U.K.