§ Mr. REMERasked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of manufactured and partly-manufactured articles imported during 1922 which did not pay duty under either the reparation arrangement, the Safeguarding of Industries Act, or the McKenna duties; and whether he will give the figures separately for the same goods imported during 1922 which paid duty under the reparation arrangement, the Safeguarding of Industries Act, and the McKenna duties?
§ Viscount WOLMERDuring the year 1922, the imports into the United Kingdam of "Articles wholly or mainly manufactured" were valued at £229,919,396 and the re-exports of similar goods at £26,831,850. The latter figure includes costs and profits of handling the goods, so that the value of the imports retained in this country, so far as relates to this category of goods, was about £205,000,000 in the year 1922. Of this total, goods to the value of £1,278,483 were charged with duty under the Key Industry and Depreciated Currency provisions of the Safeguarding of Industries Act; goods to the value of about £8,100,000 were covered by the duties first imposed by the Finance Act, No. 2, of 1915, on motor cars etc., clocks and watches, musical instruments and cinematograph films; and goods to the value of about £24,400,000 were charged under the Reparations (Recovery) Act. About £2,400,000 of the last amount were included in the values of goods charged under one of the previous headings, so that about £173,600,000 is left as the value of goods of the class indicated, imported in 1922 and retained in this country, which were not charged with duty under any of the three Acts above named. The value of goods of different classes charged with Reparations (Recovery) Duty cannot be stated precisely, and the figures given above have been estimated from the available information as closely as possible.