§ 8. Mr. A. SHORTasked the President of the Board of Trade which countries, including the Colonies, sent glass goods to this country during 1913; and the value and volume of such imports in each case?
§ Sir R. HORNEThe answer to this question involves a long statement of figures, and to print it would in effect be to reprint the relevant page from the Annual Statement of Trade. I would accordingly venture to ask the hon. Member to refer to pages 122 and 123 of the Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom with Foreign Countries and British Possessions for 1917, compared with the four preceding years (Cd. 9127), which will be obtainable in the Library. If he has any difficulty in satisfying himself, I will be glad to give any further explanation necessary.
§ 9. Mr. SHORTasked the President of the Board of Trade which countries, including the Colonies, have sent glass goods to this country since the Armistice; and the value and volume of such imports in each case?
§ as varying statements are made in the United States of America on this subject. The figures given by the Washington Bureau of Labour and also those compiled by the Federal Reserve Board are in closer agreement with those quoted which relate to this country than the American figures quoted by my hon. Friend. I will have published in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table giving the corresponding figures for the first nine months of this year.
§ The Table referred to is as follows:
§ Sir R. HORNEThe answer will involve a statistical table; and, with the hon. Member's permission, I will have one printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT when it has been completed.
§ Sir R. HORNENothing has been done in the nature of protection.
§ Mr. LYLE-SAMUELIs there any suggestion by the answer of the right hon. Gentleman that anything is to be done in the nature of protection?
§ Sir R. HORNEI am not making any suggestion.
§ Sir R. HORNEI do not think my hon. and gallant Friend properly discriminates as to what is a key industry and what is not. Part of the glass industry is a key industry and part is not.
§ Sir R. HORNEThe use of the word "protection" involves elements of controversy which I do not think it is necessary to raise, but in so far as this industry is a key industry, undoubtedly proposals will be made in a Government Bill dealing with this subject. I do not know whether my hon. and gallant Friend would regard bottles as a key industry or not.
Major BARNESWill the right hon. Gentleman give us a definition of what is meant by a "key industry"?
§ Sir R. HORNEI will try to do so when I come to make a speech dealing with this topic as a whole.
§ Mr. D. HERBERTMay I ask whether the Board of Trade have kept in spirit the agreements made with certain glass manufacturers in the early stages of the War, under which they agreed to deal with those companies on certain lines for a period of ten years after the War?
§ Sir R. HORNEI am afraid, if my hon. Friend wishes to ask me any questions about specific agreements, he will have to refer me to those agreements. I am not aware of any such items to which he refers.