§ 74. Mr. Prescottasked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total amount of Japanese cloth imported into this country since January, 1946, to the most recent convenient date; of such 9W total, what proportion was paid for in dollars; what was the total dollar sum involved; and what further purchases are contemplated within the next 12 months.
§ Mr. BottomleyI give below the information asked for in the first part of the Question.
All the cloth concerned-220 million square yards—has been re-exported and all of it was paid for in sterling, except a small quantity of cotton cloth which was bought in the early part of 1948. I am not at present able to say how much Japanese cloth traders will be permitted Ito import for re-export during the next 12 months, because it will depend upon the result of the negotiations in Tokyo. I will inform the hon. Member of the arrangements as soon as they have been settled.
Following are the figures by quantity and value of Japanese cloth imported into the United Kingdom, from January, 1946, to the end of July, 1949:—
Cloth Square Yards £ Cotton piece goods 219,910,141 12,370,271 Silk tissues 79,546 8,387 Artificial silk tissues 132,954 8,019