§ Mr. HARTSHORNasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state for the years 1900, 1910, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, and 1919 the amount of British currency and its nature, the aggregate of bank deposits, the amount of cheques and bills cleared by the London Bankers' Clearing House, the amount of the National Debt, the world's gold production and estimated stock of gold, the British gold reserves, and the Board of Trade price index number for wholesale commodities?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe particulars are as follow:— 685W
686W
— Paper Currency. United Kingdom Bank Deposits (including Bank of England). London Clearings. U.K. National Debt. World's Gold production. Estimate World's Gold Stock. U.K. Gold Reserves. Board of Trade Index No. of Wholesale Prices. Bank of England (active circulation). Currency Notes. Total. Deadweight Debt. Other Capital Liabilities. Aggregate Gross Liabilities. Bank of England. Gold against Currency Notes. Total. 31st December in each year. 31st December in each year. Calendar year. 1st A pril in each year. Calendar year. No figures available. December in each year. Average for year £m. £m. £m. £m. £m. £m. £m. £m. £m. £m. £m. £m. 1900 30.2 — 30.2 825 8,960 629 10 639 54 27.1 — 27.1 100 1910 28.6 — 28.6 982 14,659 713 49 762 94 30.5 — 30.5 108.8 1913 29.6 — 29.6 1,142 16,436 661 55 716 95 33.9 — 33.9 116.5 1914 36.1 38.5 74.6 1,322 14,665 651 56 707 91 69.0 18.5 87.5 117.2 1915 35.3 103.1 138.4 1,433 13,408 1,109 57 1,166 97 51.3 28.5 79.8 143.9 1916 39.9 150.1 190.0 1,658 15,275 2,141 57 2,198 93 53.5 28.5 82.0 186.5 1917 46.6 212.8 259.4 1,909 19,121 4,011 52 4,063 87 58.0 28.5 86.5 243.0 1918 70.2 323 2 393.4 2,275 21,198 5,872 49 5,921 79 79.4 28.5 107.9 267.4 1919 87.3 356.2 443.5* 2,687† 28,415 7,435 46 7,481 75† 90.3 28.5 118.8 296.3‡ * It is not possible to supply reliable estimates of the coin in circulation year by year, but the Committee on Currency and Foreign Exchanges after the War, in their Interim Report, estimated the amount of Gold Coin held by Banks (excluding Gold Coin held in the Issue Department of the Bank of England) and in public circulation on 80th June, 1914, at £123,000.000. The estimated amount of Silver and Bronze Coin in 1914 was about £35,000,000, and is now about £70,000,000. Silver and Bronze coins are of course limited legal tender only. † Estimated. ‡ Provisional.