§ Mr. J. Fosterasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total stocks in volume in April, 1945, of cotton, wool, tea, sugar, meat, rubber, tin, copper, grains, lead and zinc, respectively.
§ Mr. J. EdwardsThe total stocks, Government and private, in the United Kingdom of the undermentioned commodities at the end of April, 1945, as published in the Monthly Digest of Statistics, were, in thousand tons:
Cotton … 339 Wool … 245* Natural rubber … 41 Tin … 34† Virgin copper … 245 Virgin lead … 142 Virgin zinc … 170 * Actual weight, mainly greasy. † Tin metal and metal content of tin ore. It is not the practice to publish particulars of the stocks of foodstuffs.
§ Mr. J. Fosterasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of stocks of cotton, wool, tea, sugar, meat, rubber, tin, copper, grains, lead and zinc, sold in the years April, 1945, to April, 1946, April, 1946, to April, 1947, and April, 1947, to April, 1948, respectively; and the amount received for the sale of these stocks, giving in each case profit or loss on each transaction, and basing the estimate on such profit or loss on the average cost of the stocks less the price realised on sale.
§ Mr. J. EdwardsI assume that the hon. and learned Member's Question refers to trading on Government account. Sales of these raw materials ex-stocks cannot be segregated from total sales; nor can the profit or loss be given on the basis referred to. The following table, however, gives total sales of the commodities concerned by quantity and value, and the profit or loss on the basis adopted in the published Trading Accounts. The quantity and value figures are not in all cases comparable, principally because complete quantity figures were not maintained for the less important items in the trading controls' accounts.
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RESULTS OF GOVERNMENT TRADING SERVICES IN CERTAIN RAW MATERIALS AND FOODSTUFFS (1ST APRIL, 1945, TO 31 MARCH, 1948) Commodity 1945–46 Sales (a) Profit (+) or Loss (-) 1946–47 Sales (a) Profit (+) or Loss (-) 1947–48 Sales (a) Profit (+) or Loss (-) Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value £ £ £ £ £ £ Tin (b) (c) 49,374 tons 13,955,573 916,668 74,015 tons 23,061,889 +109,299 79,703 tons 31,988,495 +1,692,037 Copper (b) (c) 382,252 tons 23,572,076 -1,892,172 329,304 tons 24,193,394 -238,398 383,251 tons 44,023,731 + 2,567,425 Lead (b) (c) 217,108 tons 6,037,634 918,813 165,029 tons 7,284,335 -1,107,253 183,489 tons 13,864,529 + 1,355,906 Zinc (b) (c) 347,159 tons 6,397,817 -1,280,400 363,686 tons 10,241,222 704,925 240,784 tons 15,545,654 + 1,045,534 Cotton (d) 2,034,796 bales 43,981,332 -2,106,238 2,140,310 bales 55,257,807 +3,148,310 3,071,423 bales 118,571,493 + 27,982,686 Rubber (e) 296,000 tons 44,628,690 -2,989,169 348,000 tons 40,583,214 -2,253,442 103,000 tons 4,580,172 -2,308,039 Wool (f) (g) (h) 454,371,000 lbs. 34,671,872 + 1,574,706 (f) 238,661,000 lbs. 14,144,103 + 918,086 (i) 58,000,000 lbs. 6,407,061 + 640,699 Tea (j) (k) 328,518 tons 74,491,300 -2,902,496 324,885 tons 74,625,709 -4,833,517 173,605 tons 47,083,210 -9,173,628 Sugar (j) 2,365,089 tons 54,032,417 -15,666,776 3,049,765 tons 57,258,957 -23,625,481 2,782,135 tons 85,771,643 -28,357,933 Meat (j) (l) 2,093,143 tons 219,242,029 -32,409,329 2,127,938 tons 230,964,527 -35,856,693 1,835,333 tons 200,644,648 -53,967,982 Cereals (including flour) (j) (m) 8,305,419 tons 153,699,230 -59,048,000 8,895,928 tons 151,619,781 -57,371,707 8,032,477 tons 187,613,033 -89,641,659 192W
NOTES (a) Sales figures include sales in the U.K., shipments abroad ex U.K. stocks and direct shipments from countries of procurement. (b) The quantities given cover the metals in their various specifications, including ores and concentrates. (c) The profit or loss excludes administration charges and interest on capital, which are not apportioned to the individual non-ferrous metals in the published Trading Accounts. (d)The quantity figures cover raw cotton, waste, linters and non-spinning cotton for 1945–47. For 1947–48 the figures cover nine months trading in raw cotton and twelve months trading in waste and linters, as responsibility for raw cotton passed to the Raw Cotton Commission from 1st January, 1948. Stocks transferred to the Raw Cotton Commission have been included in "sales" at valuation on transfer. The quantity figures exclude but the value figures include farina, oils and fats, samples and warehouse sweepings, plus some yarn transactions in the last period. (e) The quantity figures include crude rubber and latex, synthetic rubber and latex, reclaimed rubber and scrap rubber. The quantity figures exclude and the value figures include carbon black, silene, compounding materials, tyre fabric materials, rubber gloves, and certain acid sales in Ceylon. (f) The figures relate in the main to the home clip, but cover e.g. wool, sheepskins, salvage and clippings, matchings and tops, broken tops, noils and comber waste. Pelts, farrier and other skins, spetches, wool dirt residue, bagging and tares are excluded from the quantity but included in the value figures. (g) Periods: 1945–46…August 1945 to July 1946 (Board of Trade). 1946–47…August 1946 to July 1947 (Board of Trade). 1947–48…May 1947 to April 1948 (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries). (h) The figures exclude transactions by or on behalf of U.K.-Dominion Wool Disposals Ltd., whose accounts for the period were published in Cmd. 7714 and 7867. (i) Subsidies were paid in these years and the figures given include them. (j) The figures quoted in the profit or loss columns are the deficits incurred, i.e. subsidies given. (k) Direct shipments abroad under international allocation ceased in 1946–47. (l) Includes poultry and rabbits. (m) Deficits include subsidies paid direct to certain processors.