§ 7. Mr. FORRESTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that, by Government decree, only sugar which is produced in Czechoslovakia is allowed to be consumed in that country; and whether, under these circumstances, he will consider the effects on established British refiners who cannot export to Czechoslovakia and similar countries, and who are com- 223 pelled to submit to the serious effects of competitive dumping of Czechoslovakian sugar in Great Britain and the competition of subsidised beet sugar at home?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI am not aware of such a decree.
§ 8. Mr. FORRESTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that, according to information supplied to the commercial secretary at Prague, the price of refined sugar was fixed for the whole of the season for internal consumption in Czechoslovakia at the equivalent of 18s. per cwt. ex factory; that according to the daily commercial report, dated 11th June, Czechoslovakian refined sugar is offered in this country at 14s. 6d. per cwt. f.o.b. Hamburg, which is approximately 13s. 2¼d. per cwt. ex factory; and, seeing that this shows that Czechoslokavian refined sugar is being dumped into this country at the rate of approximately 5s. per cwt. below home prices, whether he will make inquiries into these facts and the extent to which this dumping is in progress?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe prices given by the hon. Member are in substantial accordance with the information in my possession. In the first five months of this year, imports of refined sugar from Czechoslovakia amounted to 126,792 tons, while 147,994 tons of refined sugar were imported from other sources; and 544,224 tons of unrefined sugar were also imported during this period, none of which was consigned from Czechoslovakia.
§ 10. Sir WALTER de FRECEasked the President of the Board of Trade how many tons of Empire-grown sugar were actually imported into this country last year?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe quantities of sugar imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the year 1925 and registered as consigned from countries within the British Empire amounted to 115,305 tons of refined sugar and 333,834 tons of unrefined sugar, making a total of 449,139 tons. The information available does not, however, permit of a precise statement of the proportion of these imports which was grown within the Empire.
§ Colonel DAYIs that an increase on the 1924 figure?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI must have notice of that question.
§ Mr. A. V. ALEXANDERDoes the right hon. Gentleman not agree that it is a very poor result of Empire Preference.