§ 113. Captain REDMONDasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the item mentioned in the Ministry of Munitions Appropriation Account, 1919–20, White Paper, No. 102, appearing in the total breaking-down statement for the year ended 31st March, 1920, page 14, and described as Balance transferred to the Ministry of Munitions Account, £176,390 4s. 4d., is a trade loss; and, in view of the fact that it is described as net cost of deliveries of broken-down material during the year before charging value of material broken down, will he adopt some other means of disposing of the remaining Government property under this heading, appearing as of value £579,699 17s., having regard to the fact that only £10,705 4s. was realised during the previous year for sales, as against the cost of breaking down amounting to £633,282 6s. 2d.?
Mr. YOUNGThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The figure of £176,390 4s. 4d. is not a trade loss, but represents the net cost of breaking down during the year material such as gas shells, etc., which could not be sold without breaking down. The figure of £579,699 17s. represents the estimated value of produce awaiting sale at 31st March and the figure of £10,705 4s. represents sundry local cash sales at the factories and is quite apart from the larger sales of produce effected by the Disposal Board.