§ Colonel BURDONasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will indicate the principal countries to which British coal is exported and the chief imports which are received here from those countries?
§ Sir A. GEDDESThe principal countries to which British coal is being exported at the present time, and the chief exports which are being obtained from those countries are the following:
- France.—Wines and spirits, silk manufactures, wood, leather, chemical manufactures, fancy goods.
- Italy.—Hemp, silk fabrics, fruits and vegetables.
- Spain.—Iron-ore, lead, copper, fruit and vegetables.
- Sweden.—Timber, wood pulp, iron, paper, iron-ore.
- Norway.—Wood pulp, timber, paper, fish.
- Denmark.—Eggs, butter, bacon.
- Egypt.—Cotton, cotton seed, onions, eggs.
- Algeria—Iron-ore, Zinc-ore, vegetable fibres for paper-making.
- Argentine.—Grain, meat, hides, butter, linseed, dyeing and tanning materials and extracts.
Coal sent to Gibraltar and Malta for bunkering purposes brings those places into the list of the more important destinations of British coal.
50W
§ Colonel BURDONasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the f.o.b. prices for coal at each of the principal British ports; and what are the freights from those ports to the principal foreign ports to which British coal is exported?
§ Sir A. GEDDESThe schedules of minimum f.o.b. prices of coal for export are contained in the Directions of the Board of Trade as to the Sale of Coal, a copy of which I have forwarded to the hon. and gallant Member. The open market prices at present prevailing are, in general, several shillings per ton above the minima, and information as to the fluctuation of these prices is given in the trade Press, to which I would also refer the hon. and gallant Member as to the prevailing rates of freight.