HC Deb 29 April 1931 vol 251 cc1640-2W
Mr. LAMBERT

asked the President of the Board of Trade the rate of import duty on wheat and the retail price of the 4-lb. loaf in France, Germany, Italy, United States, and Canada, respectively, together with the average price in Great Britain?

Mr. W. R. SMITH

The present import duties on wheat and the latest information available in the Ministry of Labour relating to the retail prices of bread in the countries concerned are given in the table below. In the absence of information as to the qualities of bread to which the various price quotations relate, it is not known how far the prices shown may be regarded as comparable one with another. Currency conversions have been effected at the rates current at the dates to which the figures relate.

the price paid per ton for coal; and similar particulars with regard to the generation of electricity and the production of coke?

Mr. W. R. SMITH

The profits of statutory gas undertakings (companies and local authorities) as shown in the Board of Trade Return relating to all authorised gas undertakings in Great Britain for 1929 (Part II, Finance and Prices) and similar particulars as regards authorised electricity undertakings (supplied by the Ministry of Transport) for the year 1929 are given below. The corresponding information for the year 1930

STATUTORY GAS UNDERTAKINGS.
Companies' Undertakings.
Year. Total Capital (Share and Stock) paid up. Total loan Capital (including debenture stock) issued. Revenue Account.
Receipts. Expenditure. Excess of Receipts over Expenditure.
£ £ £ £ £
1929 87,793,526 29,264,025 45,420,646 38,377,145 7,043,501

Local Authorities Undertakings.
Year. Total amount of money borrowed. Total amount of loans repaid and balance in Sinking Fund. Revenue Account. Interest paid on loans, amount of loans repaid and amount placed to Sinking Fund during year. Net Surplus.
Receipts. Expenditure. Excess of Receipts over Expenditure.
£ £ £ £ £ £ £
1929–1930 71,841,980 40,637,702 22,394,758 18,090,465 4,304,293 3,504,569 799,724

AUTHORISED ELECTRICITY UNDERTAKINGS.
(1) Local Authorities—Year 1929–1930.
Capital Expenditure at end of Year. Gross Surplus. Appropriation of Gross Surplus.
Interest. Sinking Funds. Balance, other purposes.
£ £ £ £ £
200,291,250 15,538,862 5,847,449 6,198,557 3,492,856

(2) Companies—Year 1929.
Capital Expenditure at end of Year. Gross Surplus. Appropriation of Gross Surplus.
Interest. Dividends. Depreciation and other purposes.
£ £ £ £ £
126,778,903 12,158,128 2,323,106 4,681,725 5,153,297
(3) Coal.
The average cost in 1929–1930 per ton of coal and coke used in the generating stations of all authorised undertakers was 15s. 5d., the amount of coke representing between one and two per cent. only of the total coal tonnage.

is not yet available. No similar information as to the coke oven industry is available. As regards the price paid per ton for coal by the undertakings referred to, figures are given below for 1929–30 in respect of electricity undertakings. For the other industries no particulars are available.