§ 1. Mr. GRATTAN DOYLEasked the Secretary of state for India whether he would give the principal items, with their value in British money, of the Japanese exports to India for the year ended 31st March last; the corresponding figures for the past six months; and what were the import Duties levied on British and Indian goods entering Japan?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA (Mr. Montagu)I will circulate the figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following are the figures referred to:
§ The following table shows the value of the principal articles imported into India from Japan during the year ending 31st. March, 1919, and the corresponding figures for the five months, 1st April, 1919, to 31st August, 1919, where such figures are available.
§ Statistics of Indian imports from Japan during the past six months are not available.
1283§ The figures are taken from a publication which treats the rupee throughout as equal to 1s. 4d.
| Article. | 1917–18. | August, 1919. |
| £ | £ | |
| Apparel (excluding, hosiery and boots and shoes) | 211,421 | 100,234 |
| Bobbins | 175,792 | * |
| Building and engineering materials | 161,587 | * |
| Chemicals | 404,297 | * |
| Cotton, hosiery | 490,617 | 232,785 |
| " twist and yarn | 3,552,767 | 109,398 |
| " piece goods | 7,097,493 | * |
| Earthenware | 163,418 | * |
| Glass and glassware | 552,014 | 257,457 |
| Haberdashery | 124,388 | 54,365 |
| Hardware | 617,529 | 162,291 |
| Machinery and millwork | 164,195 | 35,446 |
| Instruments and apparatus | 323,503 | * |
| Liquors—Ale and beer | 247,096 | 84,230 |
| Matches | 1,042,271 | 345,887 |
| Paints and colours | 327,850 | 23,885 |
| Paper and pasteboard | 464,987 | * |
| Metals, aluminium | 106,387 | * |
| " brass, bronze, and similar alloys | 596,522 | * |
| " copper | 263,613 | * |
| " iron and steel | 1,162,238 | * |
| " zinc and spelter196.584 | 196,584 | * |
| Silk, piece goods | 1,064,996 | 787,661 |
| Tea chests | 303,082 | * |
| Toys | 105,125 | * |
| Wood and timber (excluding tea chests) | 189,137 | * |
| Woollen manufactures | 222,291 | * |
| *Figures not available. |
§ The same rates of Import Duty are levied on goods imported from the United Kingdom and India into Japan. They vary with the nature of the goods, but are in no case higher than those levied on similar goods from any other foreign country. I shall be happy to send the hon. Member a copy of the Japanese tariff if he so desires. Meantime I may mention that raw cotton, which accounts for 80 to 90 per cent. of the total value of Indian imports into Japan, is admitted free of duty.