asked the President of the Board of Trade if, owing to the closing down of Kent canning factories and the unemployment already existing, he will immediately cut down exports of tinplate to foreign countries.

Until the new continuous strip mill at Trostre comes into operation in the latter part of the year, it may not be possible to meet the requirements of the home canning industry in full and some of them may have to curtail production. Distribution of available supplies between home users and exports follows a carefully arranged programme. Exports are, under the prevailing conditions, already being restricted to the lowest level consistent with our vital interests.