§ MR. HOYLE (Lancashire, S.E., Heywood)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the declared value of the exports for the year 1889 of British and Irish manufactures, machinery, &c., to countries having a silver currency, and on that amount what would be the increase remitted home in sterling owing to the rise in exchange on the basis of the exchangeable value of the rupee having risen from 1s. 4d. to 1s. 7d.?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Sir M. HICKS BEACH Bristol, W.)I am not quite clear, from the hon. Member's question, whether he desires to show the exports of British produce and manufacture to countries with a silver currency or with a silver standard, which is not quite the same thing; because gold standard countries, as well as silver standard countries, may have a good deal of silver currency, as in England, France, Germany, and the United States. Taking, however, the 88 list of the principal silver-using countries given by the Gold and Silver Commission at page 30 of their final Report, namely, India, China, Japan, Ceylon, Straits Settlements, Mauritius, Mexico, and Central America, I find the exports of British and Irish produce and manufacture amounted to £48,088,857 in 1889. I am unable to give a reply to the second part of the hon. Member's question, as the points involved are mainly matters of opinion and argument.