Mr. H. Wilsonasked the President of the Board of Trade to state the quantity of raw cotton, the dollar value, and the proportion represented of total United States cotton imports into this country, which has come into the United Kingdom in each of the years 1953 to 1955, against payment in sterling, or under barter or any other special arrangements which exclude the payment by this country of dollars.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftUnited Kingdom imports of United States raw cotton in 1953–55 not paid for in dollars consisted of those supplies for which reimbursement was obtained from the United States Government under the Mutual Security Acts, together with a small quantity (129,775 dollars) in 1955 received in payment for textiles exported to Pakistan under the United Kingdom/Pakistan Agreement of 29th April, 1955. The value in dollars of these supplies and the approximate proportions by value which20W they bore to total United Kingdom imports of United States raw cotton in 1953–55 were as follows :
— U.S. Dollars Percentage 1953 17,578,048 25 1954 14,534,821 15 1955 9,565,347 14 Figures of the quantities of cotton represented by the above values could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and labour.
Mr. H. Wilsonasked the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of total imports of raw cotton came from the Commonwealth, excluding the Sudan, and from the Sudan, respectively, in each of the years 1951 to 1955, inclusive.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftThe percentages are as follows :
IMPORTS OF RAW COTTON INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM Percentage of imports from all sources — From the Commonwealth excluding the Sudan From the Sudan Year 1951 14.4 16.4 year 1952 23.1 13.5 year 1953 21.3 13.6 year 1954 17.6 9.1 year 1955 22.6 11.2