§ Mr. CHIOZZA MONEYasked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been directed to the fact that, in the annual statement of trade of the United Kingdom, in the tables showing consignments from Germany a very large quantity of articles obviously not the produce of Germany are included, such as caoutchouc, cocoa, coffee, cotton, gutta-percha, jute, tin, ivory, etc., and if it is possible to classify separately such imports from Germany as are German special trade or German native produce or manufactures?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI do not think it would be practicable to adopt my hon. Friend's suggestion. Such a re-classification could not be confined to consignments from Germany; it could not be carried out completely even for Germany; and it would take no account of the manipulation in Germany of products originating elsewhere. The question of the countries to which imported goods should be accredited in the Official Trade Accounts was fully considered last year by a Departmental Committee, of which Sir Robert Giffen was chairman, who unanimously reported in favour of showing in the accounts the country from which the goods were consigned, irrespective of whether or not that country was the actual country of origin or manufacture.
§ Mr. MONDasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been directed to the fact that the following articles are included in the import list of the Board of Trade Returns among the articles classified as wholly or mainly manufactured, namely, tin, copper, zinc, piglead, quicksilver, indigo, barks for tanning, leather, skins and furs dressed, oil-seed cake, paraffin wax, and stone slabs and marble rough-hewn; and whether, in order to obtain a more accurate division of imports, these articles could be transferred to Schedule 2, raw materials or articles mainly manufactured?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLMy hon. Friend will remember that on 24th April, 1907, he addressed a similar question to my right hon. Friend the present Chancellor of the Exchequer. I am sending him a copy of the answer then given, to which I have nothing to add.
§ Mr. MONDIn view of the fact that the right hon. Gentleman himself has stated 408 that we import £142,000,000 worth of manufactured goods, is it not time the Schedule was altered?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLIt is not a very easy matter to draw a distinction between the different grades of manufactured, partly manufactured, mainly unmanufactured goods and raw materials, and admittedly there are many cases in the classification to which exception might be taken. But we have not only to think of drawing the classifications accurately. We have also to think of the importance of comparing the statistics of one year with another, and the desire to keep a continuity of statistics which will enable comparisons to be made between one year and another, which has prevented those re Forms in the form of presenting statistics, which are no doubt highly desirable.