3 and 4.
asked the Minister of Supply (1) the tonnage of wire produced in this country at present for the purpose of manufacturing steel-mesh reinforcement for concrete; and what percentage of this tonnage is being sent to the mesh makers in the South Wales area;(2) what tonnage of billets and Wire rod will be imported during 1949 for the purpose of increasing our production of wire for mesh-making; and what percentage of this tonnage is being accredited to mesh-makers in the South Wales area.
Steel wire reinforcement mesh is not subject to distribution control and wire is not specifically allocated for its production. Manufacturers obtain their supplies of wire direct from the producers and I have no information about the quantity purchased by firms in any one area. Imported billets and wire rods are used to increase the production of wire and re-rolled products generally and are not allocated for the production of wire for a particular purpose.