56. Mr. Vaneasked the President of the Board of Trade what approximate proportion of the pit-props imported into this country during the first nine months 1280 of 1952 and valued at £24 million, was paid for in gold, dollars and sterling, respectively; and whether he can give an estimate, similarly subdivided, of the cost of the pit-props to be imported in the coming year.
§ Mr. MackesonI have no information to show how much of the import of pit-props during the first nine months of this year, amounting to £24 million, was paid for in sterling or dollars, but of this total, £407,000 was imported from the sterling area, £6,294,000 from the dollar area, and £17,419,000 from the rest of the world. Pit-props are imported on private account and I am not in a position to say how much importers will buy next year from various sources.