Capt, H. F. C. Crookshank, Secretary for Mines, asked if he was aware that coal owners in Britain had been warned that. resources of Italian clearing houses were nearing exhaustion. and said he had warned the coal trade tha' the utmost caution should be exercised in accepting any further commitments in the Italian market. Very large Italian purchases of coal had already been made. So far as it was possible to estimate the future position of the clearing, it was probable that contracts already made, if fully executed, would leave no margin of payment for the rest of the present year, The position in regard to 1938 was also receiving consideration and the matter was about to be discussed informally with the italian Government,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.