HC Deb 18 March 1926 vol 193 cc593-5
64. Mr. FORREST

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can give the estimated cost of manufacturing one ton of white sugar from beet?

The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE (Mr. Guinness)

The hon. Member will realise that there must obviously be wide divergencies in the costs of manufacture of the several factories during the early

Mr. McNEILL

I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT the figures asked for in the first two parts of the question. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

Following are the figures:

stages of the industry, and to give an estimate at the present time would only be misleading to all concerned.

75. Mr. DUCKWORTH

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will obtain from countries producing sugar the exact amount in each case of direct or indirect. State assistance given to this industry; and whether he will lay a White Paper upon the Table of the House containing the information thus elicited?

Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER

If the hon. Member will let me have a list of the principal countries in which he is interested, I will see what can be done to obtain the information he desires.

67. The Marquess of TITCHFIELD (for Major AINSWORTH)

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of tons of sugar produced in the year 1925–26 at the four factories at Kelham, Cantley, Ely, and Ipswich?

Mr. GUINNESS

34,027 tons 9 cwt. of sugar were produced at these four factories in 1925–26.

Mr. A. V. ALEXANDER

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the very heavy stocks of sugar in this country this year as compared with last year?

68. The Marquess of TITCHFIELD (for Major AINSWORTH)

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can state the number of people who are offered permanent employment on the land by the sugar-beet industry; and the number of weeks in the year that such people would he employed?

Mr. GUINNESS

I have no information as to the number of workers offered permanent employment on the cultivation of sugar beet. The work is mainly seasonal, the periods, of maximum employment being generally during May and June for singling and hoeing and from October to December for lifting and topping. The number of weeks over which these operations are spread varies. of course, with the area under the crop on the individual farm.

Mr. SHEPPERSON

Is it not a fact that the necessary labour employed in the cultivation of sugar beet is four times that employed on the corn crop and 20 times that on grass land?

Mr. GUINNESS

I think it is very probable, but we have not got final statistics.