London, Feb. 27.
An endeavour to establish a connection between tin interests with the recent commodity scandals was made in the House of Commons today in a long series of questions.
'At the same time, the members Interested suggested steps to exclude from the International 'Tin' Committee—in other words, the buffer stock commitiee—any representative Malaya and Nigeria who have any personal interest in tin or who have taken part in the pepper and shellac Pools.
The Secretary of State for the] Colonies, Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, replied that the Malayan and Nigerian representatives were officials without financial interest in tin.
The representatives of the Netherlands East Indies and Bolivia, however, included interested " business men, while practically all the advisers of the Committee were persons inter-Nested in the tin industry.
Sir Philip assured hie questioners: that any person guilty of impropriety would not be qualified to represent the Colonial Government.
Tt was both Improper and unfair, he said, to assume that anybody directly or indirectly connected with the tin scheme had acted improperly.
No discussions had yet occurred between himself and the governments of Malaya and Nigeria concerning a renewal of the tin scheme expiring Mr. Walter S. Liddall, Conservative member for Lincoln, suggested that, if the scheme were abandoned, Malaya and Nigeria would be gravely, affected and many people now at work would be thrown out of employ ment, Sir Philip replied that this was Mr. John Wilmot, Labour member for East Fulham, raised the question of members of the Committee profit ing through advance information.
The Colonial Secretary said that the question did not arise because the decisions of the Committee were Published immediately.
Mr. Wilmot drew attention to the opposition of Malaya to a. buffer scheme and suggested an inquiry into the plan, The Colonial Secretary said he! would have to decline because the bulter scheme was not yet working. and, therefore, there could be no question of inquiring into its apers ten.
He then drew attention to the statement in the press that the Anglu-Oriental Corporation had never had any Saterest in pepper, shellac and similar produce.
He was aware, Sir Philip continued, of the increased tin production in the Congo, but the International Tin Committee preferred the admission of the Congo on the present terms to unrestrained production—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.