§ Captain FULLERasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what the o imports and exports of Palestine for the last five years have been; the value of invisible exports for this period; what the adverse balance of payments has been; and how it has been met?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe imports and exports of Palestine for the last five years have been as follow:
Year. Imports. Exports. … £P £P 1928 … 6,966,214 1,864,800 1929 … 7,435,404 2,230,101 1930 … 7,143,872 2,235,356 1931 … 6,119,187 2,227,028 1932 … 8,120,797 4,327,426 If imports and exports of specie are ignored, the figures are as follow:
Year. Imports. Exports. £P £P 1928 … 6,948,255 1,842,546 1929 … 7,423,094 2,017,434 1930 … 7,140,643 2,233,702 1931 … 6,117,152 2,000,561 1932 … 7,965,296 2,821,474 As there is no export duty, the figures given for exports must be taken as an approximation and they possibly represent an understatement. The information asked in the other parts of the question is not available here or in Palestine, and I do not think that the results of an inquiry into these matters would be likely to produce information sufficiently conclusive to justify the labour involved.