London, Apr. 24.
In the House of Commons today Mr. R. A. Butler, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said that, in re-Spohse to proposals for a resumption of Anglo-Soviet trade negotiations recently put forward by M. Ivan Maisky (the Sovie, Ambassador in London), the British Government had indicated that it was of paramount importance to them so to adapt their economic policy as best to further their war effort.
Any trade agreement concluded with a neutral government must, therefore, be related to present war conditions and, in particular, to supplies of essential commodities to the enemy.
The Government accordingly, Mr. Butler added, had invited the Soviet Government to put forward, for consideration, concrete proposals for a trade agreement, having regard to these. considerations. No date, he said, had been fixed for the return of the British Ambassador to Moscow, who was still on leave here—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.