§ MR. MACLEAN (Cardiff)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he can explain why in the Trade Returns it is the practice to classify confectionery and jams under the head of pickles; and whether he will change a practice which misleads all persons except experts as to the real extent and value of the sweetmeat trade?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADEIt is true that confectionery and preserved fruits are enumerated along with pickles and condiments in a joint heading in the trade accounts, but it is not possible to show separately the exports of every article without an amount of labour and cost which could not be justified. It is, therefore, the practice to group together articles of secondary importance as regards aggregate value, the composite headings relating so far as possible to the articles dealt in by a single trade. This practice has been followed in the present case, but in view of the interest taken in the exports of articles containing sugar, the question of the classification of these exports will be referred to the Committee for the Revision of the Trade Accounts which meets in the autumn.
§ SIR H. FOWLER (Wolverhampton)Cannot the House, for the purpose of the forthcoming discussion, have a Return of the amount of confectionery and refined sugar exported from this country to India during last year?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADEI should think it possible we might be able to get that out; it would be of great interest.
§ SIR H. FOWLERCertainly.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADEI will endeavour to see if it can be done.