HC Deb 05 December 1927 vol 211 cc984-5
60. Mr. OTHO NICHOLSON

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that a large number of the electricity undertakers affected by the South-East England electricity scheme have represented to the Central Electricity Board that certain provisions of the scheme are ultra vires; and whether, in view of this, he will urge upon the Board the necessity of making some announcement as to the procedure proposed by the Board in respect of the scheme?

The MINISTER of TRANSPORT (Colonel Ashley)

I am not aware of the details of the representations which have been made to the Central Electricity Board on the Electricity Scheme for South-East England prepared by the Electricity Commissioners; but I understand that the Board are considering the scheme and the representations in accordance with their statutory duty, and are at present engaged in discussing these representations individually with the undertakers.

— 1924. 1925. 1926.
Imports of wheat meal and flour:
Consigned from— Tons. Tons. Tons.
France … … 2,971 3,181 7,369
United States of America … … 180,400 138,025 136,638
Argentine Republic … … 15,269 20,488 39,673
Other Foreign Countries … … 8,114 6,670 12,594
Total from Foreign Countries … … 206,754 168,364 196,274
Australia … … 81,445 74,374 64,502
Canada … … 262,292 210,607 269,230
Other British Countries … … 1,802 2,286 3,048
Total from British Countries … … 345,539 287,267 336,780
Total imports of wheat meal and flour … … 552,293 455,631 533,054
Total imports of wheat (grain) … … 5,871,026 4,842,709 4,812,802
Approximate grain equivalent of imports:
(a) Of meal and flour … … 767,100 632,800 740,400
(b) Of meal, flour and grain … … 6,638,100 5,475,500 5,553,200
Proportion per cent. of (a) to (b) … … 11.6 11.6 13.3
The grain equivalent of imported meal and flour has been estimated on the basis of an extraction of 72 per cent. flour and 28 per cent. offals.
The country of growth of the grain from which imported flour was ground may, in some cases, have been different from the country from which the flour was consigned to the United Kingdom.