HC Deb 17 April 1951 vol 486 c155W
Mr. Jenkins

asked the President of the Board of Trade what additional matters he has referred to the Monopolies Commission for investigation.

Mr. H. Wilson

A new reference was made to the Commission on 16th April. The subject referred is the application of the printing process to woven fabrics. The following is the full text of the reference:

The Printing of Fabrics

Whereas it appears to the Board of Trade that it is or may be the fact that conditions to which the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry and Control) Act, 1948, applies prevail as respects the application to woven fabrics of the process of printing by means of rollers on a machine of a type commonly known as a calico-printing machine.

Now, therefore, the Board in pursuance of Section 2 (1) of the Act hereby refer to the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission for investigation and report the matter of the application of such process to the goods aforesaid.

The Commission shall as respects the application of such process investigate and report on—

  1. (1) whether conditions to which the Act applies, in fact, prevail, and, if so, in what manner and to what extent;
  2. (2) the things which are done by the parties concerned as a result of, or for the purpose of preserving those conditions;
  3. (3) whether the conditions in question or all or any of the things done as aforesaid operate or may be expected to operate against the public interest.