§ 66. Mr. Boardmanasked the President of the Board of Trade why representatives of the cotton textile unions were not invited to the initial discussions on raw cotton imports.
§ Mr. H. StraussIt was certainly my right hon. Friend's intention to include representatives of the trade unions from the start and the meeting on 16th November included representatives of all sections of the cotton industry. Though the interests most immediately concerned with the purchase and sale of raw cotton—the raw cotton merchants, the Raw Cotton Commission and the cotton spinners—were invited to be separately represented, all other sections of the industry, including the trade unions, were represented by members of the Cotton Board. One of the representatives of the Cotton Board who attended was in fact a trade unionist. It was agreed at the meeting that every section closely concerned, including the spinning and weaving trade unions, should be separately represented on the Committee which is now being set up under the Chairmanship of Sir Richard Hopkins.