§ Sir W. Robson Brownasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the increased flow of imports envisaged by the European Free Trade Area proposals and the increased industrial development in many parts of the Commonwealth, and of the desirability that consumers should know the origin of the goods they buy, he will ensure that this information is readily available by introducing legislation to amend the Merchandise Marks Act, 1926, so as to provide that all imported manufactured goods shall bear an indication of origin unless specifically exempted and that where such an indication has to be applied the precise country of origin should be stated and the present option of marking "Empire" or "Foreign", as the case may be, withdrawn.
§ Sir D. EcclesWe are a great trading nation and I do not think that it is in our interest to complicate the business of international trade by insisting upon the detailed marking of imported goods.