§ Mr. MITCHELL-THOMSON (for Mr. Norman Craig)asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he was aware that the total amount of pig-iron of all sorts imported from Germany into this country in the year 1908 was 703 tons of the value of £4,463, and that the total amount of pig-iron of all sorts imported from Germany into this country in the year 1909 was 22,445 tons of the value of £76,467; and, having regard to the relative average values, namely, just under £6 7s. per ton for the small German imports in 1908 and just over £3 8s. per ton for the enormously increased German imports in 1909, he had any information showing that pig-iron was dumped in large quantities at cheap prices by Germany into this country in 1909; (2) whether the total amount of pig - iron imported into this country for the month ended 31st May, 1910, was 18,382 tons as 1333 compared with 2,523 tons for the same month in 1909; that the average value for imported pig-iron in May, 1909, was £5 7s. 6d. per ton as compared with £3 18s. 4jd. for May, 1910; and whether he could explain the reason of this increase in imports coupled with a large decrease in value; and (3), whether in 1908 the imports of pig-iron of all sorts into this country were, by Sweden 56,461 tons of the value of £296,024, averaging just under £5 5s. 7d. per ton, and by Germany 703 tons of the value of £4,463, averaging approximately £6 7s. per ton; whether in 1909 the imports of pig-iron of all sorts into this country were, by Sweden 62,390 tons of the value of £332,611, averaging approximately £5 6s. 7d. per ton, and by Germany 224,445 tons of the value of £76,467, averaging approximately £3 8s. per ton; and to what he attributed a fall of over 46 per cent, in the value of the German imported pig-iron in 1909 occurring contemporaneously with a rise in the value of Swedish imported pig-iron?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of TRADE (Mr. Buxton)The figures are substantially correct. The increase in the imports of pig-iron began in June, 1909, and has continued until the present time. Prior to June, 1909, the imports were small in quantity, and, as their exceedingly high price shows, must have been of a special quality. The apparent fall in the average price may have resulted, not so much from a fall in the prices of particular descriptions as from the importation of pig-iron of other and more ordinary kinds than formerly. As the hon. Member is doubtless aware, the price of special qualities of pig-iron may easily be more than twice as high as that of ordinary qualities. I understand that a large part of the imports at present consists of Westphalian hematite, but the average price of all pig-iron imported is even now in excess of the price of English West Coast hematite, and, of course, considerably in excess of that of ordinary forge or foundry pig-iron. The great increase in the imports from Germany is attributed to the increased production which followed the break-up of the syndicates which previously controlled production and prices in that country, and the conditions are, therefore, entirely removed from what is generally known as dumping, by which term organised exportation at reduced prices by a trust or syndicate is usually meant. I may add that the price of the principal grades of pig-iron of United Kingdom 1334 manufacture has, on the whole, been higher this year than it was on the average in 1909 or 1908, although the price of English hematite has shown some decline since March. The high price of Swedish pig-iron is due to the fact that it consists mainly of charcoal iron of a very special quality and commanding a very special price.