asked the President of the Board of Trade the total volume of imports received from foreign countries during the last 12 months and also the total volume of exports to such foreign countries; and the value, respectively, of such imports and exports?

The value of the trade between the United Kingdom and foreign countries during the 12 months ended 30th September, 1922, was as follows:

	£
Imports into the United Kingdom	704,165,000
Exports	449,467,000
Re-oxports	92,700,000

It is not possible to give a figure of total volume.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether His Majesty's Government has received repre- sentations from the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia on the subject of preferential treatment of Australian dried and canned fruit exported from that Dominion to this country; whether the fruit-drying and fruit-canning industries of the Australian Commonwealth present great possibilities of development; and whether favourable consideration will be given to the extension of preferential treatment to these articles?

A communication on this subject was received some time ago from the Australian Government who stated that the industries in question were capable of great development. Australian preserved fruit liable to duty already receives a preference of one-sixth, and His Majesty's Government after careful consideration came to the conclusion that it was not possible to make the substantial increase in the amount of the preference which was suggested by the Australian Government.

asked the President of the Board of Trade for what reason the Central Import Agency, which had acted as Government agents for the disposal of dyes received from Germany under reparations, closed down; and can he state what profit and loss was made by this agency on the sale of these dyes?

asked the President of the Board of Trade for what reason the British Dyestuffs Corporation were appointed Government agents for the disposal of dyes received from Germany as reparation; why the notice of such appointment was not issued until well over a month after the appointment had been made; how long the agreement for the agency is for; what remuneration is being paid to the British Dyestuffs-Corporation for their services; and whether he is aware that the trade information they secure from this agency in the matter of consumers is being used for the benefit of their own business connected with the making of British dyes?

I will answer these questions together, and as the answer is somewhat long, will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Read it.

I shall be glad to do whatever Mr. Speaker may suggest, but I think it conforms to the general convenience of the House, when a large number of questions appear on the Paper, that long answers should be circulated. As a mater of fact, the practice is always carried out by my Department of sending round the answer to the hon. Member who puts the question immediately after Question time.

On a point of Order. I put a supplementary question to the last question on the Paper, quite plainly, and it was not answered.

A Minister cannot be compelled to answer supplementary questions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in reference to the export credits scheme, he cansay in respect of what classes and amounts of goods exported to what countries assistance has been given?

As the answer is rather long, I will, with the permission of the House, have it circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that large consignments of timber of Russian origin have, for some time past, been landed and exposed for sale in the porta of London, Hull, etc.; that, in many instances, this timber was originally the property of English timber merchants, was seized by the agents of the Soviet Republic, who overprinted the private brands of these firms with the hammer and sickle brand of the Soviet Republic, and was thus sent to the English markets for sale to customers of the timber firms at prices with which it has been almost impossible for the timber merchants to compete; and that, owing to the fact that the timber merchants and their agents have received no compensation whatsoever for the timber seized from them, this competition is prejudicial; and whether he is prepared to take any action in the matter and protect British interests?

I understand that the facts are substantially as stated in the question, though I have no information as to the prices secured for the timber in this country. As the hon. Member is doubtless aware, arrangements have been made for recording claims against the Russian Government, and His Majesty's Government will not fail to take all practicable steps to secure an equitable settlement.

Does the course adopted by the Russian Government here differ at all in principle from the policy of His Majesty's Government in dealing with German property in this country?

Yes, it differs in every possible respect.

Will the right hon. Gentleman be prepared to receive a deputation from English firms, stating their various hardships?

I am certainly ready to see anyone at any time, if it can serve any useful purpose, but it is not possible, I think, at the present time to do more than tabulate these claims and press them when the time comes.

If there is the sale of timber at very low prices, as is alleged, is it not to the advantage of the building trade in this country?

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Government intends to carry out the promise given by its predecessor to re-enact those clauses of the repealed Profiteering Act which dealt with trade rings and combines?

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the legislation promised by the late Government and the various inquiries which have been held into rings and trusts, the Government will deal with the evil next year; and whether they will consider proposals to compel trusts to trade under a single name and so prevent the device by which a certain dairy company is enabled to trade under over 50 different names, representing firms which once competed with each other but are now completely merged?

The Government are not in a position to give any undertaking as to legislation on this matter.

Does the right hon. Gentleman not consider that he is bound by the pledges given by the last Government, seeing that the majority of the Members of the present Government were Members of the last Government?

I do not wish to engage in an interesting discussion on the doctrine of successive responsibility, but obviously this is a question that must be considered on its merits. If there is anything involved which would seriously dislocate trade and cause general disturbance without compensating advantages, it is a matter for very careful consideration.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that these pledges were given by Conservative Ministers, and that a great many expensive Committees have inquired into it, and is all that evidence to be valueless?

No, I do not think their evidence is to be valueless at all, and one of the results, if I remember, of these Committees was that the evil was found to be much smaller than was commonly supposed. But it may well be that it is not a good thing to set up a large Dumber of Committees in the future.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is able to state which foreign countries impose a tax upon visiting British commercial travellers; and whether he will consider making representations on this subject?

I have been asked to reply. I am sending my hon. Friend a list of the countries which impose taxes on British commercial travellers. I do not think, however, that the imposition of these taxes would of itself constitute a ground for representations.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider reciprocating or retaliating?

That question was discussed in the House last Session. The difficulty is this: Where there is most favoured nation treatment you cannot adopt what is equivalent to retaliation against one country, unless you apply the same treatment to most of the others, and so lose much more than you gain.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether arrangements have been made by his Department to ensure that British manufacturers axe aware at the very earliest moment of all openings in foreign countries for British trade; whether, in the case of need, the facts are telegraphed home for distribution to the manufacturers interested; and whether, in every instance, the support of the Foreign Office is available where desirable to promote the success of British enterprise?

The overseas officers of the Department of Overseas Trade have been instructed to supply the Department at the earliest possible moment with all information obtainable by them in regard to openings in foreign countries for British trade. Arrangements have been made in the Department for the prompt dissemination of this information to British firms. It would be of assistance if all firms desiring to receive such information would enrol on the Department's special register, in order to ensure that the goods and markets in which each firm is interested are readily on record. The answer to the second and third parts of the question is in the affirmative.

Have the Consular officers abroad been instructed to make inquiries about British trade and are they sufficiently business men to understand?

Yes, Sir; the Consuls are specially instructed to look after commercial interests and to report upon commercial openings, and, in considering promotions in the Consular service, the efficiency of a Consul in his commercial work is always taken into consideration.

Is there anything in the way the right hon. Gentleman suggests in the Consular service in Russia at the present time?

There is a trading mission in Russia which is functioning at the present time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total amount in sterling of private and personal property belonging to German subjects in this country which has been sequestrated, and the amount it is proposed to remit, out of the total, to British-born wives of Germans and to other individuals in special cases?

Assuming that the question refers to the property in the United Kingdom of Germans, wherever resident, the sum of £33,600,000 has already been paid to the Controller of the Clearing Office in respect of realisations, in addition to which reserves in the hands of the Custodian amount to approximately £1,500,000, and a sum of approximately £6,000,000 has been released to non-Germans. Certain further assets are still available for realisation, but it is not possible to state the realisable value. No estimate can be made as to the proportion of this sum which will eventually be released to British-born German women and to other individuals in special cases. Each of such cases is dealt with on its merits by Lord Justice Younger's Committee, and the Committee's recommendations are given effect to by the Custodian.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the Hungarian Government and the municipality of Budapest have not yet admitted to the British administrator of Hungarian property liability for War period interest upon securities issued to British subjects before the War by the. Hungarian Government and the municipality of Budapest; and whether he will request His Majesty's representative at Budapest to take the matter up with the Hungarian authorities so as to render unnecessary litigation under the Treaty of Trianon before the Mixed Arbitral Tribunal?

The answer to this question is rather long, and, with my hon. Friend's permission, I will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider the desirability of a percentage preference being given to all persons who tender for Government contracts, and who undertake to use British Empire materials and employ British Empire labour; whether his Department will use its influence with public bodies to make similar concessions subject to the same conditions; and whether he is aware that the London County Council already gives a 10 per cent, preference on contracts where British material and British labour are employed?

The Board of Trade is not a contracting Department. But I have no doubt that the contracting Departments and public bodies recognise the desirability and importance of giving preference wherever practicable to contractors who undertake to employ British labour and British materials. With regard to the last part of the question, I am not aware that the London County Council has made any general rule of the kind mentioned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if any Russian vessels, either owned by the Russian Government or by Russian subjects, have entered British home ports during the present year; if so, how many vessels: and what is their total and average tonnage;

(2) the number of German vessels which have entered British home ports during the present year; what is the total tonnage of such vessels; and can he give the average tonnage of these German vessels which are now trading with this country?

During the period from 1st January to 27th November of the current year, 31 Russian vessels, of an aggregate net tonnage of 49,522 tons, entered at ports of the United Kingdom. The corresponding figures respecting German vessels are 3,044 and 1,615,606 tons. net. On the basis of these figures the average tonnage of such Russian vessels was 1,600 tons, and of German vessels 530 tons.