§ MR. D. A. THOMAS (Merthyr Tydvil)I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any information which would account for the falling off in the imports of cocoa butter, from 1,331,000 lbs. in 1897 to 162,000 lbs. in 1904; whether any excise duty has been levied on this bye product in the United Kingdom corresponding to the 1d. per lb. import duty imposed as from August 7th, 1896; and, if not, will he take into consideration the possible protective character of the duty with a view to its early repeal.
§ MR. ASQUITHThe imports of this article fluctuate very greatly, having fallen from 1,331,000 lbs. in 1897—a date subsequent to the imposition of the duty—to 493,000 lbs. in 1899, and rising in 1900 to 1,239,000. Since then there has been a decline until 1904, when there was again a slight increase. There are no statistics of the quantity imported before the duty was imposed, and I have no evidence that the import has been checked by an increase in the home manufacture. No excise duty is levied on cocoa butter manufactured in the United Kingdom. I am considering the question whether, and how far, the duty is protective in its operation.