§ 64. Mr. A. M. SAMUELasked the President of the Board of Trade if he 1748 will state the tonnage of imported raw iron and steel for the 14 months 1st January, 1929, to 28th February, 1930; and the approximate aggregate number of men and boys required to produce that tonnage through its various stages calculated on the basis of the British census of production?
§ Mr. W. R. SMITHThe answer to the first part of the question includes a table of figures, and will be printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I regret that the information available from the census of production does not suffice for the calculation suggested in the second part of the question.
§ Mr. SAMUELWould the hon. Gentleman contradict a suggestion that the import of raw iron and steel represented last year the import of the work of 100,000 men and boys, and, in view of the heavy unemployment in the iron and steel industry, will he convey the answer to this question to the Lord Privy Seal?
§ Following is the answer:
§ The following table shows the total quantities of the undermentioned descriptions of crude iron and steel imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland, registered during the period 1st January, 1929, to 28th February, 1930:
| Description. | 1st January, 1929, to 28th February, 1930. |
| Tons. | |
| Pig iron | 61,933 |
| Ferro-alloys | 35,146 |
| Ingots, other than of special steel | 46,490 |
| Blooms, billets, slabs, other than of special steel: | |
| Iron | 6,658 |
| Steel | 697,213 |
| Sheet bars and tinplate bars | 513,812 |
| Special steels | 3,475 |
| Total | 1,464,727 |