§ 59. Mr. THORNEasked the President of the Board of Trade what action he intends taking in the matter of the resolution sent to him from the executive council of the Timber Trade Federation of the United Kingdom, protesting against any discrimination against Russian timber?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of TRADE (Mr. William Graham)I have not yet received this resolution.
§ 60. Mr. THORNEasked the President of the Board of Trade the total amount of cubic feet of timber imported from India (East) and India (West) during January, 1931; and whether he has any information as to the rates of wages paid to the workers engaged in felling trees in the lumber camps and the loading of ships at the various ports in India?
§ Mr. GRAHAMParticulars of the imports into the United Kingdom of timber consigned from India (East) and India (West), respectively, are not available, as the imports from different districts in India are not separately recorded. The total quantity of wood and timber imported into the United Kingdom, and registered during the month of January, 1931, as consigned from British India as a whole, was 144,766 cubic feet. As regards the second part of the question, I have consulted my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for India, but I regret that no information is available in his Department or in mine on this subject.
§ Mr. THORNEIs it not generally known that the wages paid to this class of people in India are very much lower than the wages paid to any workers in any European country who are doing exactly the same thing; and does not my right hon. Friend think it is about time that the propaganda which is being carried on against Russia was put an end to?
§ Mr. GRAHAMI can only say to my hon. Friend that neither Government Department has any information as to these statistics.
§ Mr. THORNEIs it not generally known that the Indian workers are the worst paid workers in the world?