115. Mr. H. Wilsonasked the Minister of State, Board of Trade, as representing the Minister of Materials, the consumption by the cotton industry of this country of Sudan cotton in 1951, 1952 and 1953; and his estimate of the amounts that will be available in 1954 and 1955.
Mr. Amory53,000 metric tons in 1951, 49,000 in 1952 and 43,000 in the first nine months of 1953. The amounts that will be available in 1954 and 1955 will depend chiefly on the size of the crops 171W in those years; no reliable estimate can yet be made, but over the last four years the Sudan crop has averaged about 86,000 metric tons.
116. Mr. H. Wilsonasked the Minister of State, Board of Trade, as representing the Minister of Materials, what arrangements he is making for the purchase of Sudan and Peruvian cotton, respectively, for the 1954 season; whether these will be bought by the Raw Cotton Commission; and whether he is satisfied that the arrangements made will meet the requirements of the spinning industry.
Mr. AmorySubject to the passage of the Cotton Bill now before Parliament, it is the Government's intention that all users should obtain privately their requirements of all types of raw cotton in the season beginning 1st September, 1954. The Raw Cotton Commission, however, will make purchases from the 1954 Sudanese and Peruvian crops sufficient to meet any requirements of contractors-in until the 1955 crops became available, provided these requirements are notified to the Commission in good time. My noble Friend is satisfied that the proposed arrangements should enable the spinning industry to meet their needs.