HC Deb 04 July 1906 vol 160 cc57-8
MR. BOLAND (Kerry, S.)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade † See (4) Debates, cliv., 1251. whether his attention has been called to the annual statement lately issued of the trade of the United Kingdom, and in particular to the value of imports and exports at Tralee and other Irish ports; and whether, in view of the statement that the imports at Tralee amounted in 1905 to a value of £108,440, and that the exports amounted only to £784, he will state what relation these figures boar to the actual trade of the port.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. LLOYD-GEORGE,) Carnarvon Boroughs

The figures to which the hon. Member refers are those of the direct trade of Irish ports with places abroad. I am unable to state what precise relation the figures quoted as regards Tralee bear to the whole trade of the port, there being no official records of the value of the trade of Irish ports carried on with or through ports in Great Britain. Some light, however, may be thrown on the matter by the statistics of entrances and clearances of shipping with cargo at Tralee which in 1905 were as follows:—

Entrances. Clearances.
Tons. Tons.
In Foreign Trade 14,037 374
In General Coasting Trade 16,151 31,170
In Trade between Great Britain and Ireland 42,072 6,414
MR. FLYNN

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Customs authorities at Belfast, Dublin, Limerick, and Cork formerly made it their business to collect returns of imports and exports?

MR. LLOYD-GEORGE

I am not.

MR. FLAVIN

At all these ports there are three authorities from which the information could be obtained.

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