§ MR. D. A. THOMASI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has any official information showing the cause for the continuous falling off in the exports of coal from this country in recent years to the West Coast of the American continent, to the Atlantic Coast of North and Central America and the West Indies, and to the East Coast of Africa and neighbouring ports (Groups 10, 8, and 5, in the Summary of Coal Exports in Parliamentary Paper, No. 119).
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURNo, Sir. The causes may be various, and I am not prepared to express a definite opinion in regard to them.
§ MR. D. A. THOMASThe right hon. Gentleman does not dispute that there is a falling off?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURNo, Sir.
§ MR. M'KENNA (Monmouthshire, N.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state what was the total production of coal in the United States and in the German Empire in the year 1900; what was the amount of coal exported from the same two countries and from Japan in the year 1900; and what proportion of the coal exported from the United Kingdom during each of the last three years was sold for the replenishing of bunkers on British ships.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe production of coal in the United States in 1900 was 245,422,000 tons. The production in Germany cannot be stated from official figures for that year. The exports of coal (domestic produce) from the United States in 1900 were 7,917,319 tons, and from Germany 15,275,805 metric tons. The exports of coal from Japan in the same year were 2,402,765 tons. I am unable to answer the last paragraph of the hon. Member's question.
§ MR. D. A. THOMASDo the exports from Japan include bunker coal?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI cannot say without inquiry.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that his figures differ from those given by the Foreign Office?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURNo; but I will look into that.
§ MR. M'KENNADo the American figures include exports to other parts of the American Continent?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURYes, and largely to Canada.