§ 7. Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state what action the Government intend to take to check the imports of carpets into this country from abroad?
§ 12. Major BEAUMONT THOMASasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the increase which has take place in imported toys; and what steps the Government propose to take to deal with this situation?
§ 16. Mr. LECKIEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give the House any official figures to show to what extent foreign goods have been dumped into this country during the last month or two?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI will refer my hon. Friends to the statement I made on the subject of abnormal importations in yesterday's Debate.
§ Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEWill the right hon. Gentleman apply what he referred to yesterday to the imports of carpets, of which there has been an increase in the last month alone of 20 per cent. over the normal?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI think we had belter have the powers before we go into particular articles.
§ 10. Mr. LYONSasked the President of the Board of Trade the value in sterling of hosiery and underwear of ail classes, wholly or partly manufactured, imported into Great Britain for the period of six months ended 31st October, 1931, or the nearest available date, and the values of such imports for the corresponding periods of 1929 and 1930, respectively?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe total declared value of hosiery and underwear of all kinds imported into the United Kingdom and registered during the six months 645 ended the 31st October, 1929, 1930 and 1931, was £3,509,000, £3,794,000 and £3,765,000, respectively.
15. Lieut.-Colonel Sir FREDERICK HALLasked the President of the Board of Trade the value of manufactured articles imported into this country during the past three weeks; and the corresponding figure for 1930?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer which was given yesterday by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade on the subject of recent statistics of the imports of manufactured articles.
Sir F. HALLIs the right hon. Gentleman in a position to give the actual figures for the three weeks, as they were not given in the information yesterday?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI am afraid that I cannot do it in a complete form.
19. Sir GEORGE HAMILTONasked the President of the Board of Trade the value of electrical machinery imported into this country since the beginning of the year and, separately, the value of electrical equipment used in cinemas?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe total declared value of the imports of electrical machinery and parts thereof into the United Kingdom during the 10 months ended October, 1931, was £1,303,000. Imports of electrical equipment for use in cinemas are not separately recorded in the trade returns of the United Kingdom, but, according to the official export returns of the United States, the value of the exports of motion-picture sound equipment from that country to the United Kingdom during the first eight months of 1931 was £123,000.
§ 20. Mr. HURDasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state in detail, for the latest convenient period, the volume and countries of origin of imported goods and foodstuffs which would have been classed as luxury imports and subjected to restriction in the War years?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI can only refer my hon. Friend to the list of articles given in the Prohibition of Import (Consolidation and Amendment) Proclamation of 30th March, 1917, which, however, included many items not of a luxury character, and to Volume II of the Annual Statement of the Trade of the 646 United Kingdom for 1930 which has just been published and which gives detailed particulars of the imports of merchandise into this country and distinguishes the principal countries from which goods of each particular kind were consigned.
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI do not think that any foodstuffs were included in the War time list.
21. Sir F. HALLasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state whether, in connection with any proposals which may be considered by the Government for protecting British trade, regard will be had to the conditions of labour which are observed in the production of the various classes of goods and materials which are now being imported into Great Britain without restriction in competition with home industries?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI have at present nothing to add to what I said on the subject of our import trade in yesterday's Debate.
Sir F. HALLDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise the importance which the question of the conditions of labour abroad has in this matter, and will he take it into consideration?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANindicated assent.
23. Sir F. HALLasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that manufactured and other goods are being imported into this country at the present time, and that the placing of these goods on the market at low prices rendered possible owing to the low wages paid in their production will impede the finding of work for the unemployed in Great Britain; and whether, pending effective steps being taken to put a stop to dumping, arrangements can be made to ensure that the place of origin of these imported goods shall be made clearly known to the buying public?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThere is no power under the existing Merchandise Marks law to impose a general requirement that imported goods should bear an indication of origin, but many kinds of imported goods, including many of common use, have to bear such an indication. For the rest I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the statement which I made yesterday.