asked the President of the Board of Trade how many glass bottles were exported from the United Kingdom by British manufacturers in the first to months of 1947; and whether he is aware that these bottles if they had been sold in the United Kingdom, would have been sold at less than half the price at which similar bottles imported from Belgium have been sold in the United Kingdom.

Some 60 million. This quantity, which represents about 2½ per cent. of total home production is sufficient only to enable the manu- facturers to preserve their goodwill abroad which I consider to be of value. Imported bottles are expensive, but help to ease the present severe shortage.

Is it not rather odd to insist upon the export of 60 million bottles and to have to import 10 million at much higher prices?

It is not odd at all. I regard it as a perfectly correct commercial practice to enable our manufacturers to maintain their foothold in overseas markets against the time when we shall be able to produce sufficient not only for our own use, but for export.