asked the President of the Board of Trade what tonnages of light-gauge tinplate were exported from the United Kingdom during each of the four quarters of 1949; and what tonnages were retained for domestic consumption in the United Kingdom in the same four quarters.

Separate statistics of exports of light-gauge tinplate are not available. United Kingdom exports of tinplate in the four quarters of 1949 were as follow: January-March, 49,474 tons; April-June, 46,489 tons; July-September, 42,458 tons; and October-December, 56,281 tons. No figures are available of the quantities of light-gauge tinplate retained for domestic consumption in the United Kingdom, but I am informed that deliveries of tinplate, terneplate and blackplate for home consumption in 1949 were as follow: January-March, 142,773 tons, April-June, 135,016 tons; July-September, 122,451 tons; and October-December, 139,473 tons.