§ Sir J. D. REESasked the President of the Board of Trade how he arrives at the figure of £1,189,000 as the value of the net imports gained on balance in our lace trade by reason of our adoption of the policy of free imports; and whether he includes the value of the lace thrice or four times daily delivered in Great Britain by Continental parcel post from France and Germany?
Mr. ROBERTSONThe figure in question represents the difference between the total value of the imports of cotton lace in 1910 (£2,542,000) and the value (£1,353,000) of the re-exports to other countries in the same year of lace which had been originally imported from abroad. No account is taken in these figures of any imports or exports by parcel post, as imports of non-dutiable goods and exports of all kinds through this channel are recorded as parcels without reference to their contents. Taken as a whole, exports through the1762W parcel post vastly exceed in value the imports through that channel. I may add that the answer which I gave to the question put to me by the hon. Member on the 5th November contained no reference, to any gain or to any policy.