Mr Robert Hudson: I had some talk unofficially with the right hon. Gentleman opposite and with Mr. Deputy-Speaker, and it was suggested that, if the Minister of Supply agreed, we could take the Vote, and, if it suits the Government, we should then be able to have a discussion on the Board of Trade Vote as long as time allowed. I do not know whether that meets their convenience or the convenience of the Committee.
Mr Robert Hudson: No.
Mr Robert Hudson: It is not true, on the Minister's own paper. It is admitted there that prices were rising because of the increased demand before Korea.
Mr Robert Hudson: I quoted to the right hon. Gentleman chapter and verse. I gave him dates of meetings held in his own Department with the trade, before Korea, on three separate occasions, at which the trade definitely urged him to increase stocks and buy because of rising prices. What is the good of his coming to the Committee and saying it is not so? It is on record in his own Department if he chooses to look.
Mr Robert Hudson: That is not true.
Mr Robert Hudson: I agree. Perhaps I can assist the right hon. Gentleman by telling him that we are proposing formally to move to reduce the Vote, sub-head J4, by £100.
Mr Robert Hudson: The right hon. Gentleman is labouring under a delusion. He always forgets, as do hon. and right hon. Gentlemen opposite, that we do not claim infallibility, whereas his party do.
Mr Robert Hudson: Certainly not.
Mr Robert Hudson: I have never said it. The right hon. Gentleman heard me read out quotations from my speech in answer to an hon. Member. We have never said that we claim infallibility. We said that we thought that, on balance, private trade would make fewer mistakes.
Mr Robert Hudson: It was not mentioned in my speech at all.
Mr Robert Hudson: When was this information communicated to the firms or to the industry? My information is that a short while ago they were not aware of it.
Mr Robert Hudson: Has the right hon. Gentleman no idea at all—not even a rough idea?
Mr Robert Hudson: Has the right hon. Gentleman taken the trouble to read the report of the Chamber of Shipping, which lays the blame frankly on the shoulders of the Government and says that such action on the part of private ship-owners and others would be regarded as inconceivable?
Mr Robert Hudson: We have listened to an interesting speech from the hon. Member for Flint, East (Mrs. White), with which I shall deal in a moment. The debate was opened by what we on this side at all events regarded as a very able speech by my hon. Friend the Member for Wembley, South (Mr. Russell). After listening to practically the whole debate I am bound to say that very little if any attempt has been made...
Mr Robert Hudson: It is not hearsay at all. I have here case after case, but I do not want to keep the House—
Mr Robert Hudson: Well, I am told, but look at the position. When we were engaged in the private importing of cotton people knew what was available; but under the present ré gime, when everything is bought by the Raw Cotton Commission, the Commission refuse to disclose their stocks. What right has the hon. Gentleman to accuse me of not having statistics? It is disgraceful and that is what we complain...
Mr Robert Hudson: We are deprived of any statistics because the Government are afraid of being exposed. They are afraid —and I say it deliberately—to tell the public what stocks of cotton there are and what qualities they have, because they are afraid the public would see they are, in fact, overloaded with this third-class stuff. That is one of the handicaps under which the Lancashire cotton industry is...
Mr Robert Hudson: That is precisely the point we made when we were discussing the setting up of the Raw Cotton Commission and the abolition of the Liverpool Cotton Exchange. That is what we said would happen. We said that manufacturers who wanted particular types of cotton for special lines would not be able to get them, although they had been able to get them in the past.
Mr Robert Hudson: To the extent that dollars had been available they would have got the types of cotton they required.
Mr Robert Hudson: No, I wish to conclude shortly in order to give other hon. Members opposite an opportunity to speak. Let me try to trace the reason for this failure on the part of the Government. The right hon. Gentleman talked about what happened in the summer of 1949. Then there was a depression in the United States. People thought it would last and extend, and prices definitely were falling. In the late...
