§ Mr. SAMUEL ROBERTSasked the President of the Board of Trade if he would state the values of the exports of cutlery from the United Kingdom to the United States of America and Canada, respectively, for the three years ending 31st December, 1908, 1909, and 1910; and the values per head of the population, and the average import duties levied in each country on such goods?
Mr. BUXTONThe value of the cutlery of United Kingdom manufacture which was exported from this country to the United States in 1908 was £59,500; in 1909, £69,700; and in 1910, £04,200, equivalent to rather less than one-fifth of a penny per head of the population of that country in each year. The exports of cutlery from the United Kingdom to Canada amounted to £69,500 in 1908, £86,600 in 1909, and £113,300 in 1910, equivalent to about 2.½d., 2¾d., and 3½d. per head of the population of the Dominion in the respective years. Duty is leviable on cutlery imported into the United States at a large number of different rates, according to kind, and the average duty levied on imports from the United Kingdom cannot be stated. The average duty levied in 1908–9 on imports of cutlery from all sources was approximately 70 per cent. ad valorem. The duty on cutlery imported into Canada under the British Preferential Tariff is 20 per cent. ad valorem.
§ Mr. S. ROBERTSMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he is aware that on 884 some of the articles of cutlery imported into the United States the duty is as much as 100 per cent.?