§ 9. Major HUNTasked the President of the Board of Trade if he can give the imports into America of Egyptian cotton for the year ending 31st July, 1916; and can he say whether these imports were considerably more than those of former years?
§ Mr. PRETYMANAccording to Returns published by the United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce the quantity of Egyptian cotton imported into the United States during the year ended 31st July, 1916, amounted to 195,500 bales of 750 lb. weight. The quantity imported in the previous twelve 626 months was 174,400 bales; the average of the preceding four years was 116,800 bales. I ought to add that these figures include a certain amount of Egyptian cotton which is subsequently re-exported to-Canada.
§ Major HUNTCan the hon. Gentleman account for the increase in 1916, and has he any information as to cotton being held in America for the Germans after the War?
§ Mr. PRETYMANI have made inquiries on both those points, and I am officially informed that the largely increased use of this pure Egyptian cotton is for the construction of motor tyres mainly. As to the second part of the supplementary question, our information at present is that it is not being stored. A Conference is being held this afternoon to consider this question very closely.