I SEE THAT the heavy electrical engineering industry has called
of its proposed delegation to the Board of Trade. Its intention was to persuade Mr. Thorneycroft that it would not be in the national interest to publish certain parts of the Monopolies Commission report on the industry; and naturally this aroused some criticism in the press. No reason has been given for the decision to call off the meeting, but presumably it was taken because the industry was 'upset' (as one of its spokesmen put it) at the hostile reception. If this really is the reason, I feel that the industry has made a mistake. It would have been perfectly within its rights in putting its case to the Minister. And it is certainly far better that such arguments should be put formally, by delegation, rather than insinuated by devious lobbyings. The industry has a case; and (though I do not agree with it, at least as stated in the pamphlet Level Prices—W hy?) 1 am surprised that it has been deterred from putting it.
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