33. Miss Wardasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the difficulty of obtaining a detailed analysis of the rise in the cost of ship building, and the necessity for the proper presentation of the facts, he will obtain such particulars for the last 10 years for all classes of tonnage and publish them in a White Paper?
§ Mr. StanleyChanges which are continually being made in the type and equipment of ships make it impossible to give exact comparisons of the prices of new ships of all kinds over a period of years. A general indication of the position is, however, given by a record which has been maintained by the journal "Fairplay" for a number of years of the fluctuations in the price of a 7,500–ton (deadweight) cargo steamer. This shows that the price of such a steamer remained fairly steady at about £9 a ton between 1926 and 1935; it then rose to £14 8s. in the early part of 1938 and fell again to £12 13s. 4d. a ton in December, 1938. There has, I understand, been some further decrease since then.
Miss WardDo the figures cover the alleged increase in the price of auxiliary machinery and other parts?
§ Mr. StanleyYes, I think so.
§ Mr. Benjamin SmithCould the right hon. Gentleman give the comparison for foreign ships with the same improvements?
§ Mr. StanleyI will certainly get any information I can in respect of foreign shipping, because it is subject to the same difficulties as I have explained for British shipping.