HC Deb 23 February 1931 vol 248 cc1756-63
59. Mr. BARNES

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will issue a. statement showing, for the years ended 31st March, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1930, the amount paid under the British Sugar (Subsidy) Act, 1923, to each firm in receipt of the subsidy, stated separately, together with its net profits and the amounts put to reserve, and depreciation accounts for each of the specified years?

Dr. ADDISON

I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT statements showing the beet-sugar subsidy paid and the reserves provided and the depreciations written off by each of the companies. The balance sheets do not disclose the net profits for each year's working, and I am unable to furnish this information.

Following are the statements:

Statement 1.
AMOUNT of Subsidy paid to Beet Sugar Companies during each year ended 31st March, 1926 to 1930, respectively.
Company. Year ended 31st March
1926. 1927. 1928. 1929. 1930.
£ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d.
English Beet Sugar Corporation, Limited 360,872 13 10 505,251 1 5 547,221 0 4 374,661 13 3 488,230 0 3
Home Grown Sugar, Limited 103,537 0 0 270,127 11 4 188,715 10 4 70,334 7 1 139,596 17 2
Ely Beet Sugar Factory, Limited 191,733 12 7 536,409 15 9 566,910 10 4 407,984 15 9 504,044 11 8
Ipswich Beet Sugar Factory, Limited 60,979 11 2 402,133 3 10 326,499 10 10 175,048 19 2 265,601 11 0
King's Lynn Beet Sugar Factory, Limited — — 120,499 6 11 175,624 4 11 294,701 17 2
Anglo-Scottish Beet Sugar Corporation, Limited 151,289 8 8 387,572 5 10 430,357 10 2 234,011 7 0 400,681 16 4
2nd Anglo-Scottish Beet Sugar Corporation, Limited — 279,209 7 6 502,827 11 11 174,345 2 6 293,378 0 5
West Midland Sugar Company, Limited 63,163 15 2 149,373 6 1 250,998 0 9 147,818 17 4 186,247 1 2
United Sugar Company, Limited 80,140 1 6 383,479 13 0 432,807 1 6 354,625 18 5 463,249 6 3
British Sugar Manufacturers, Limited 50,268 10 3 110,376 13 11 194,739 1 10 133,456 13 3 171,263 2 6
Central Sugar Company, Limited — 183,957 6 4 212,691 19 6 174,308 13 2 252,569 15 11
Yorkshire Sugar Company, Limited — — 123,722 4 2 102,112 9 2 183,014 16 9
Shropshire Sugar Company, Limited — — 139,495 15 7 146,212 19 6 227,986 7 9
Lincolnshire Sugar Company, Limited — — 224,178 13 2 106,850 17 9 204,351 15 3
2nd Lincolnshire Sugar Company, Limited — — — 72,682 16 3 148,134 2 11
Sugar Beet and Crop Driers, Limited — — — 4,159 10 0 6,678 14 5
Orchard Sugar Company, Limited 4,105 5 10 17,968 10 1 47,585 17 8 — —
Totals £1,066,089 19 0 £3,225,858 15 1 £4,309,259 15 0 £2,854,239 4 6 £4,229,729 16 11
Statement 2.
STATEMENT of the Reserves of Beet Sugar Companies as standing in the Balance Sheets as at 31st March, 1926 to 1930, respectively.
Company. Year ended 31st March
1926. 1927. 1928. 1929. 1930.
£ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d.
English Beet Sugar Corporation, Limited 143,719 15 4 299,787 1 11 406,832 14 0 410,640 0 7 460,958 5 2
Home Grown Sugar, Limited 63,692 8 2 121,354 3 11 147,535 18 10 131,009 7 10 139,697 8 6
Ely Beet Sugar Factory, Limited 6,065 17 6 96,489 16 2 142,701 8 10 201,684 9 7 271,924 16 6
Ipswich Beet Sugar Factory, Limited 1,443 1 0 91,334 14 7 153,891 0 6 154,531 8 8 165,927 10 8
King's Lynn Beet Sugar Factory, Limited — — 713 12 8 1,550 2 7 8,337 7 9
Anglo-Scottish Beet Sugar Corporation, Limited — — — — —
West Midland Sugar Company, Limited — — — 35,000 0 0 35,000 0 0
Second Anglo-Scottish Beet Sugar Corporation, Limited — — — — —
United Sugar Company, Limited — — 50,000 0 0 100,000 0 0 100,000 0 0
British Sugar Manufacturers, Limited — — — — —
Central Sugar Company, Limited — — — — 40,000 0 0
Yorkshire Sugar Company, Limited — — — — —
Shropshire Beet Sugar Company, Limited — — — — —
Lincolnshire Sugar Company, Limited — — 42,200 0 0 42,200 0 0 42,200 0 0
Second Lincolnshire Sugar Company, Limited — — — — —
Orchard Sugar Company, Limited — 243 4 0 — — —
Totals £214,921 2 0 £609,209 0 7 £943,874 14 10 £1,076,615 9 3 £1,264,045 8 7
Statement 3.
STATEMENT of the amounts written off in depreciation by Beet Sugar Companies in each of the years ended 31st March, 1926 to 1930, respectively.
Company. Year ended 31st March
1926. 1927. 1928. 1929. 1930.
£ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d.
English Beet Sugar Corporation, Limited 83,016 15 3 60,674 13 0 85,401 0 0 25,000 0 0 36,623 1 1
Home Grown Sugar, Limited 23,359 0 0 23,379 0 0 24,444 0 0 25,518 0 0 25,567 0 0
Ely Beet Sugar Factory, Limited 30,941 16 8 98,634 4 5 138,520 5 10 102,591 11 1 100,000 0 0
Ipswich Beet Sugar Factory, Limited 3,968 11 6 96,112 9 9 52,368 17 6 20,000 0 0 35,000 0 0
King's Lynn Beet Sugar Factory, Limited — — 37,292 17 9 20,000 0 0 42,000 0 0
Anglo-Scottish Beet Sugar Corporation, Limited — 46,000 0 0 100,000 0 0 20,000 0 0 47,000 0 0
2nd Anglo-Scottish Beet Sugar Corporation, Limited — 17,500 0 0 122,500 0 0 — 35,000 0 0
West Midland Sugar Company, Limited — 15,000 0 0 56,000 0 0 19,000 0 0 25,000 0 0
United Sugar Company, Limited — 44,300 0 0 30,000 0 0 30,000 0 0 67,850 17 6
British Sugar Manufacturers, Limited 11,269 0 3 22,558 17 7 — 27,644 16 11 30,000 0 0
Central Sugar Company, Limited — 23,450 0 0 21,885 0 0 20,650 0 0 65,000 0 0
Yorkshire Sugar Company, Limited — — 20,000 0 0 9,000 0 0 15,000 0 0
Shropshire Beet Sugar Company, Limited — — 10,000 0 0 15,000 0 0 65,000 0 0
Lincolnshire Sugar Company, Limited — — 25,000 0 0 11,000 0 0 16,200 0 0
2nd Lincolnshire Sugar Company, Limited — — — — 27,200 0 0
Total £152,555 3 8 £447,609 4 9 £723,412 1 1 £345,404 8 0 £632,440 18 7
60. Sir HERBERT SAMUEL

asked the Minister of Agriculture which are the principal counties in which sugar-beet is produced; what was the total area in those counties under root-crops in the year prior to the commencement of the beet-sugar subsidy; and what was the area under sugar-beet and the area under other root-crops in the latest year for which information is available?

Dr. ADDISON

Nearly 70 per cent. of the sugar-beet acreage returned in June, 1930, was in Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Isle of Ely and Yorkshire. The total acreage under roots (excluding potatoes) in the-se counties in 1924 was 497,499 acres, of which 18,530 acres were devoted to sugar-beet. In June, 1930, the total acreage under sugar-beet in these counties was 239,575 acres, and the acreage under other roots (excluding potatoes) was 394,882 acres.

61. Sir H. SAMUEL

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the total quantity of sugar produced from British sugar beet in the latest year for which information is available; the average market price of the sugar; the total value of the crop; and the sum paid in subsidy from the Exchequer in that year?

Dr. ADDISON

The figures for the manufacturing campaign 1929–30, which is the latest period for which complete information is available, are:

Total production of sugar (cwts.) 5,841,489
Estimated average wholesale price per cwt. of sugar 20s. 8d.
Total value of the beet crop £5,301,000
Total subsidy paid £4,233,776