§ 19. Mr. COWANasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that the effect of prohibiting the export of coal to Scandinavia is to enable German coal to be exported to those countries and thereby to enable Germany to pay for her imports of metals, etc., without drawing on her gold reserves; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?
§ Lord R. CECILThe prohibition of the export of coal does not, of course, mean more than that licences are required for each consignment exported. In point of fact, the restriction is in the case of Norway and Denmark very slight indeed, and the actual figures for the eleven months up to November 30th, 1915, show a small increase in coal exports, compared with the same period of 1914. As regards Sweden, the question of coal export is closely bound up with more complex considerations, among which the point to which the hon. Member refers is not lost sight of.