asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he will open negotiations for the purchase of timber from Rumania;

(2) what negotiations for trade with Rumania have been undertaken; and what progress has been made with them.

Negotiations for an agreement which would have provided for a resumption of trade and limited financial relations with Rumania took place in Bucharest from February to October last year, and a draft agreement was on the point of being signed when the Rumanian Government broke off the negotiations. With the signature of the Peace Treaty with Rumania, a fresh situation has arisen and steps will be taken when the Treaty has been ratified to remove the wartime restrictions on trade between the two countries. The lack of an agreement has not, however, prevented trade with Rumania, and a number of transactions have, in fact, already taken place under licence. As regards timber, negotiations with the Rumanians have been carried on for many months and 10,000 standards of softwood arc now under contract.

While I in no way wish to disparage the importance of trade with Rumania, and particularly the purchase of timber, will my hon. Friend see whether it would be possible to purchase timber from Yugoslavia—

These Questions concern Rumania only.