75. Miss Rathboneasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will supply figures showing the total production in the British Empire during 1938 of antimony, petroleum, mercury and tungsten, and the proportion of these substances which were sold to countries outside the Empire; and whether he is satisfied that the proportion retained within the Empire is large enough to meet both current needs, and to provide a reserve adequate for the requirements of Imperial Defence?
§ Mr. CrossDetails of production in 1938 are not yet available but the principal sources of supply of the raw materials mentioned other than tungsten ore are outside the Empire. This country takes most of the Empire output of tungsten ore. I am not aware of any difficulties in obtaining adequate supplies of these materials for current needs, and I can assure the hon. Member that the requirements of Imperial Defence are not being overlooked.