§ 76. Sir W. Smithersasked the President of the Board of Trade why he has arranged for the importation of artificial flowers, to the value of £40,000, and fancy feathers, to the value of £5,000, from Czechoslovakia for the year ending 30th June, 1951; and if he will, before coming to a final decision, consider the claims of the home producers of these articles, particulars of which have been sent him.
§ Mr. BottomleyThese imports have been arranged under Article 5 of the Anglo-Czechoslovak Trade and Financial Agreement of 1949, whereby the United Kingdom undertook to issue import 35W licences on application up to a certain annual value of Czech goods in each of the five years of the Agreement. The detailed arrangements for 1950–51 have been concluded. The purpose of import licensing restrictions is to protect the balance of payments and not United Kingdom producers; but the position of the latter was fully taken into account before the quotas for these articles were agreed.