§ 3 and 4. Mr. Johnasked the Minister of Supply (1) the tonnage of wire produced in this country at present for the purpose of manufacturing steel-mesh reinforcement for concrete; and what percentage of this tonnage is being sent to the mesh makers in the South Wales area;
(2) what tonnage of billets and Wire rod will be imported during 1949 for the purpose of increasing our production of wire for mesh-making; and what percentage of this tonnage is being accredited to mesh-makers in the South Wales area.
§ Mr. G. R. StraussSteel wire reinforcement mesh is not subject to distribution control and wire is not specifically allocated for its production. Manufacturers obtain their supplies of wire direct from the producers and I have no information about the quantity purchased by firms in any one area. Imported billets and wire rods are used to increase the production of wire and re-rolled products generally and are not allocated for the production of wire for a particular purpose.