§ 64. Mr. WELLOCKasked the President of the Board of Trade the total production of aluminium hollow-ware in this country, and the amount exported, in each of the last six years.
Mr. WILLIAMSThe exports from this country of domestic hollow-ware 1176 of aluminium, registered as of United Kingdom manufacture, amounted during 1922 to 181 tons, in 1923 to 362 tons, in 1924 to 397 tons, in 1925 to 691 tons, in 1926 to 685 tons, and in 1927 to 666 tons. These figures include exports to the Irish Free State from 1st April, 1923. Particulars of the quantities produced year by year in the United Kingdom are not available, but it would appear from a preliminary examination of the Returns made in connexion with the Census of Production that the output in 1924 was between 1,600 and 1,700 tons.
§ Mr. A. V. ALEXANDERHave the hon. Member's Department received an application from this industry for safeguarding?
Mr. WILLIAMSThat is not a question which I should answer, for it is not the practice to make any statement with regard to applications until they have been referred to a Committee.
§ Mr. KELLYIf it is the practice of the Department not to make this information known, why did they give the information to the Balfour Committee, which published a whole list of them?
Mr. WILLIAMSThe list published in the Balfour Committee's Report is a list of those applications that were referred to Committees.