§ 18. Sir GIFFORD FOXasked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that large contracts are being booked in this country for Russian strawberry pulp shipped from Black Sea ports, and that, although this pulp does not reach England before late August or September, these contracts operate to the detriment of British strawberry prices; and whether he will investigate the desirability of arranging that the duty on strawberries shall be continued in order to cover the importation of this pulp?
§ The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE (Major Elliot)My attention had not previously been drawn to the contracts referred to in the first part of the question. With regard to the second part, strawberry pulp comes under the Customs tariff item "fruit preserved by chemicals": consequently, strawberry pulp from Russia is subject to an import duty of 25 per cent. ad valorem throughout the year.