§ MR. J. WARD (Stoke-on-Trent)I beg to ask the President of the Boards of Trade whether he can give the number of tons of foreign cement imported into the United Kingdom in 1905, and the countries from which such cement came; also whether he can give the names of the firms in this country to whom the cement was consigned, the ports at which it was unloaded and stored, and the work upon which such cement was used; whether he is aware that the great bulk of such imported cement is retailed as British Portland cement; and what action, if any, he proposes to take to protect the public from fraud of this character.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD or TRADE (Mr. LLOYD-GEORGE, Carnarvon Boroughs)A statement has been prepared and will be communicated to the hon. Member giving all the information available as to the quantity of cement imported from foreign countries into the United Kingdom at the various ports during 1905. The names of the ultimate consignees of the cement cannot be given as the law only requires the names of the importers or agents to be furnished in the "entries." Imported Portland cement bearing marks implying that the goods are of British manufacture would be required to have these marks duly qualified, so as to afford a definite indication of the country of origin, in accordance with the requirements of Section 16 of the Merchandise Marks Act, 1887. As to retail sale, a false trade description would appear to be applied if foreign Portland cement were retailed as British, and it would be open to anyone aggrieved to take action under the Act referred to.