asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the increased consumption in the United Kingdom of raw rubber, he is satisfied that present stocks are sufficient for strategic purposes.

It would not be in the public interest to offer any views on the size and quality of any of our stocks of strategic raw materials.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what stocks of rubber were held in this country on 1st April, 1949, and 1st April, 1950, respectively; and of such stocks how much was standard rubber and how much had been held in this country for more than three years.

At the beginning of April, 1949, stocks of rubber in this country (excluding Government stocks of natural rubber) were 45,000 tons of natural rubber; 2,400 tons of latex and 1,800 tons of synthetic rubber. The corresponding figures on the 3rd March, 1950, the latest available, were 39,500 tons of natural rubber, 2,300 tons of latex and 1,100 tons of synthetic rubber. Details of the quality and age of the rubber are not available.