HC Deb 20 November 1952 vol 507 cc2017-9
7. Mr. F. Maclean

asked the President of the Board of Trade what exports of rubber and tin from British territories to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and China have been licensed during the past 12 months.

Mr. Mackeson

Ninety-nine thousand four hundred and ninety-one tons of rubber were licensed and exported to Russia from the United Kingdom and British Colonial Territories in the 12 months ended 31st October, 1952. Exports of tin to Russia are not subject to licence, but are closely watched; in the year ended 31st July, the latest for which figures are available, exports from the United Kingdom and British Colonial Territories amounted to 350 tons. There have been no exports to China of either rubber or tin from these sources since June, 1951.

Mr. Maclean

Does my hon. Friend really think that it is a good thing to go on exporting what is, in effect, war material to a country which is actively supporting our enemy?

Mr. Mackeson

We are licensing at the same rate as in the past and taking into consideration the peace-time demands of Russia in doing so.

Mr. Paton

Would the Minister continue to resist such demands since Russia and China can obtain the supplies quite easily from other sources?

Mr. S. Silverman

Will the Minister bear in mind that it is the accepted opinion, quite outside any question of party controversy, that the restoration of world trade conditions depends upon the development of under-developed areas, that China is largely an undeveloped area and that one cannot industrially develop an undeveloped area without rubber and without tin?

Mr. Maclean

Will my hon. Friend say whether it is the object of this country to develop Chinese industry in view of the way in which China is behaving?

Mr. Mackeson

I think that the attitude of Her Majesty's Government on these problems has been made abundantly clear.

Mr. Bottomley

Is the Minister aware that we shall have less grain from Russia this year, which will have a very bad effect on our own industry? Should we not export rubber and wool in quantities to match the supplies that we want in return?

Mr. Mackeson

We are balancing our exports to Russia in the same way as our predecessors did, on the basis of the peace-time needs of Russia, in order not to make rubber available for strategic purposes.

Mr. Bottomley

Is the Minister aware that what we tried to do before was to get as much grain and timber as possible and that, in return, we sold wool and rubber?