§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of waste paper has been sold from Public Departments between 1st January, 1916, and 1st January, 1919; and what sum the sale has brought to the Treasury?
§ Mr. BALDWINThe quantity of waste paper sold by the Stationery Office during the period from 1st January, 1916, to 31st December, 1918, was 25,900 tons and the amount thereby realised was £215,634 16s. 3d. In addition, waste paper was collected and sold by the Admiralty, War Office, and Post Office. I have endeavoured to get out the figures for these Departments for the hon. Member, but have as yet only ascertained that the sums realised by the Admiralty and the Post Office for the period in question were £600 and £61,635 8s. 10d. respectively. I will furnish the hon. Member with the War Office figures and the Post Office figures for quantity in due course, but I understand that the extraction of the Admiralty figures for quantity may involve a disproportionate amount of labour and as the amount in the case of that Department is so small the hon. Member will perhaps not press for that information. If he desires to do so perhaps he will put down a question on the point to the Admiralty. Waste paper is also collected and sold by factories under the Ministry of Munitions. These sales were made by a large number of individual factories and no separate account has been kept which would show the total quantity of waste paper dealt with and the sums realised.