§ Mr. JESSE COLLINGSasked the President of the Board of Trade the value of sugar imported into the United Kingdom in one year, say 1911 or 1912; the value of that portion of the total imports which comes from Continental countries; and what bounties are given by the Governments of these countries for the encouragement of sugar production?
Mr. BUXTONThe total value of all sugar, raw and refined, imported into the United Kingdom in 1911 was £26,587,000, of which £19,127,000 was derived from the Continent of Europe. Of the latter sum only £1,708,000 is attributable to countries where the system in force can be regarded as equivalent to a bounty on exportation, namely, £1,702,000, the value of the imports from Russia, and £6,000, the value of the imports from Spain. In neither country is there a direct bounty, but the amount of the indirect bounty in Spain has been estimated by the Permanent Sugar Commission at 19 francs 75 centimes per 100 kilogrammes of raw sugar, and 19 francs 50 centimes per 100 kilogrammes of refined sugar. I understand, however, that this calculation was based solely on the differences between the Spanish Customs Duties and internal taxation. No satisfactory estimate can be given of the amount of the indirect bounty which results from the Russian sugar regime.
§ Mr. JESSE COLLINGSasked the President of the Board of Agriculture the number of beet-sugar factories at present in England, the value approximately of their output in 1911 or 1912, and the amount of duty levied on such output?
229W
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThere is only one beet-sugar factory in England, namely, at Cantley in Norfolk. With regard to the remaining parts of the question I would refer to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to a question addressed to him by my right hon. Friend the Member for West Islington on the 9th January last.