In the House of Commons on Thursday week Sir Henry
Dalziel quoted some striking figures showing the increase of exports to neutral countries which were presumably in dose commercial relations with Germany. The exports of linseed oil to Holland had increased by more than twenty-nine thousand tons in the last nine months. Sir Henry Dalziel suggested an independent inquiry into the good faith of the Overseas Trust whioh ads as a distributing agency. Mr. Bigland threw a good deal of light on the subject from personal ex- perience. Ho explained that the export of linseed oil was an essential incident in the manufacture here of linseed cake for cattle. The linseed oil crushers of Hull could not supply cake at anything like the present price if they were not allowed to export the oil. Moreover, a considerable increase in the export of linseed oil was accounted for by the fact that the oil was now used for making margarine, and it was necessary for us to maintain our purchases of margarine from Holland. When all had been said, however, ho admitted that far more linseed oil had been going to Holland than could be used for legitimate purposes. Ho thought the war would be over in seven months if we could prevent Germany from importing oil and fat matter.
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