BRITISH WOMEN GET NYLONS IN PARCELS FROM GIBRALTAR

Wanganui Chronicle, 24 November 1950, Page 5

BRITISH WOMEN GET NYLONS IN PARCELS FROM GIBRALTAR

LONDON, Nov 23 (Recd 6 pm).— Mrs Jean Mann (Labour) protesting in the House of Commons at what she called the “scandal and ramp which ought to have been stopped long ago” urged the Government to investigate the trade in nylon stockings between Gibraltar and Britain.

In thi. past year, she said, over 1,000,000 pairs of nylons exported to Gibraltar had come back to Britain in gift parcels. And at the same time, British women were complaining that it was impossible to get nylons in British shops. Mrs Mann said three stores in Gibraltar had sent her price lists of nylons which had been exported there from Britain. Customs figures showed that of the exports in the past five months, nearly 400,000 pairs had come back to women in Britain. 'One pair at a time' in mail packets.” The Secretary of Overseas Trade (Mr. Boltomley) said the Government was “very much concerned," but he did not think it Would be justified in taking positive action. "If we stopped it, we could cause genuine resentment because the ban would have to apply equally to gifts from other parts of British territory.”