§ 63. Sir B. Jannerasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the British Trade Centre in New York has no director, very few visitors and a low number of exhibitors; whether he is satisfied with the assistance that this centre under present conditions is giving to British trade prospects in New York; and what steps are being taken to ensure that the lessons learnt from the experience in this trade centre will be studied before arrangements are made for British participation in the permanent World Trade Centre due for completion in New York for 1970.
§ Mr. MasonThe British Trade Centre in New York was set up by the British American Chamber of Commerce, with financial support from the Government, as an experiment in promoting British trade in the U.S.A. The Centre has encountered problems both of finance and presentation. In order to give this experiment a fair trial, the Board of Trade has now taken over the Centre and will introduce different techniques. There is no connection between the British Trade Centre and the New York World Trade Centre.