Captain A. EVANSasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the relative wages in the iron and steel industries for a 48-hour week in Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, and France, respectively, on the basis of the franc at 124 to the £; and what is the average value of engineering exports in 1925?
§ Sir B. CHADW1CKAs to the first part of the question, I am informed by the Minister of Labour that the available statistical material is too scanty in scope and of too disparate a nature to permit of a comparison of the wages paid in the four countries.
With respect to the second part, the average values per ton of exports, from the countries named, of all descriptions of machinery, including electrical machinery and locomotives and tractors, during the first nine or 10 months of 1925, were as follow:
708W
Per Ton. £ United Kingdom (10 months) 95 Belgium, including Luxemburg (9 months) 41 Germany (9 months) 82 France (10 months) 53 The foreign values have been calculated in sterling at the average of the quoted rates of exchange on London during the periods specified.
These exports cover a wide range of goods, and, in view of the differences in the make-up of the. exports of the different countries, the foregoing figures cannot be treated as in any way com parable.
Captain EVANSasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is yet in a position to say whether the Civil Research Committee have yet come to a decision with regard to the iron and steel trade; if he will say how many people are normally employed in that industry and how many of that number are now unemployed, and the annual cost to the country; how many tons of iron and steel, which could have been made in this country, were imported in 1924; at what rate imports are being received during the current year; if exports have de creased during the current year; what is the average difference in the cost of the imported material and the same material produced in this country; and what additional expenditure has been incurred by importing foreign material?
§ Sir B. CHADWICKAs regards the first part of the question, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 7th December to the hon. Member for Flint (Mr. Goodman Roberts), a copy of which I am sending him.
Referring to the second part of the question, I am informed as follows by the Minister of Labour:
The approximate number of workers in the iron and steel trade and at blast furnaces is about 226,000, and the number of these who were registered as unemployed on the 26th October, 1925, was about 54,000. The records of unemployment benefit do not distinguish the amounts paid in separate trades. Assuming, however, that the work people in these trade, drew the same average amount of unemployment benefit per head as unemployed workpeople generally, and allowing for the relatively small proportion of women and juveniles included, the total amount of unemployment benefit that would be drawn in the course of a year is estimated to be in the neighbourhood of £2,000,000.As to the third part of the question. the total imports of iron and steel and manufactures thereof included in Class 709W III, Group C, of the Official Trade Re turns of the United Kingdom, amounted in 1924 to 2,429,212 tons.
Respecting the fourth part, the imports during the first ten months of 1925, have averaged 225,933 tons a month; and as to the fifth, exports have averaged 306,801 tons a month in the first ten months of 1925, compared with 320,953 tons a month in the year 1924.
To the sixth and seventh parts of the question it is not possible to give a definite answer.