§ MR. D. A. THOMASI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the amount of bounty given in Canada and Australia on the production or export of iron and butter respectively; to what extent bounty-fed articles, other than sugar, have been imported into the United Kingdom during recent years from British colonies and foreign countries; and if the Government propose affording protection to those engaged in agriculture and manufacture at home on lines similar to that afforded to the West Indian sugar planters.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURAs regards Canadian iron I must refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to-the hon. Member for West Islington on 4th November last.† I know of no Australian bounty on iron. As regards butter I have no knowledge of any direct bounty, but the information desired will, no doubt, be contained in the return of Colonial bounties on agricultural produce, which was promised by the Postmaster General, as representing the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for South Somerset on 4th December last. The Trade Accounts do not distinguish‡ between imports of bounty-fed and other articles. The answer to the last paragraph is in the negative.
†See (4) Debates, cxiv., 8.
‡See (4) Debates, cxv., 1307.