§ 29. Colonel PERKINSasked the President of the Board of Trade the tonnage of refined sugar imported into this country during the last complete year, giving an analysis of these imports according to exporting countries; and whether he has any information to show that any country thus exporting to us is selling the commodity below home prices?
§ Mr. ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUEL (Secretary, Overseas Trade Department)The total imports into the United Kingdom of refined sugar in 1925 amounted to about 15,000,000 cwts. Particulars of the countries whence these imports were consigned are given on pages 24 and 25 of the Trade Accounts for December, 1925. I have no information regarding the last part of the question.
§ Mr. W. THORNEHave the Government taken into consideration the present position, and have they any intention of preventing any exploitation of any shortage at the present time?
§ Mr. SAMUELThat is another question, and I ask the hon. Member to put it down on the Paper.
§ 27. Sir VANSITTART BOWATERasked the President of the Board of Trade if, taking the estimated output of 130,000 tons of white sugar from the sugar-beet factories this year, he will state the proportion this bears to the output of all the established British sugar refineries?
§ The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE (Mr. Guinness)I have been asked to reply. On the basis of present estimates, the proportion will be approximately one to seven.
§ 28. Mr. COMPTON (for Mr. GROVES)asked the President of the Board of Trade the proportion of Empire-grown cane sugar refined by British factories and the destination of the balance?
§ Mr. SAMUELOf the total production of sugar in the British Empire, about 87 per cent. is consumed in the countries of production, and nearly 7 per cent. is shipped to the United Kingdom, nearly 6 per cent. to Canada and New Zealand, and the remainder to other countries. I am not able to say what part of the Empire-grown sugars imported into the United Kingdom may have been consumed in the condition in which they were imported, and what part may have been refined in British factories.