§ MR. FELLI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade what amount of rails for tramway purposes have been imported into this country from Belgium and other countries in each of the last three years; what was the cost of such rails; and what was the average cost of similar rails manufactured in the United Kingdom during the same years.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe imports of rails for tramway purposes were not recorded separately from the imports of other rails prior to 1907. In that year 1,362 tons of tramway rails of a declared value of £8,766 were consigned to this country from Belgium and 2,509 tons of a declared value of £18,046 from other countries. I have no official information as to the average cost of tramway rails manufactured in the United Kingdom. In the same year 4,077 tons of tramway rails of British manufacture valued at £69,284 were exported from the United Kingdom.