Mr. T. THOMSONasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will, in conjunction with the Minister of Labour, have prepared a Return showing the total imports of goods for each of the last 25 years and the percentage of unemployment for each year in the same period?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER,pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 15th December, 1925, Col. 1164], supplied the following statement:
In the following table there are stated, so far as the particulars are available, the declared values of the imports of merchandise in each year from 1900 to 1924, and, in view of the extent to which price changes affect the totals, there are 2025W also given the results of calculations showing approximately the relative changes in the volume of imports, except for the years 1914-1918. The percentages of unemployed members of certain trade
Years Total Imports (a). Mean Annual Percentage Unemployed at end of each month (b). Declared Values. Index Number of Volume (1913=100). Based on returns relating to members of certain Trade Unions. Based on returns of workpeople insured under the unemployment Insurance Acts. £ 1900 … 523,075,163 76 2.5 — 1901 … 521,990,198 78 3.3 — 1902 … 528,391,274 80 4.0 — 1903 … 542,600,289 81 4.7 — 1904 … 551,038,628 81 6.0 — 1905 … 565,019,917 83 5.0 — 1906 … 607,888,500 85 3.6 — 1907 … 645,807,942 87 3.7 — 1908 … 592,953,487 83 7.8 — 1909 … 624,704,957 86 7.7 — 1910 … 678,257,024 88 4.7 — 1911 … 680,157,527 90 3.0 — 1912 … 744,640,631 97 3.2 4.5 (c) 1913 … 768,734,739 100 2.1 3.6 1914 … 696,635,113 Calculation not made 3.3 4.2 1915 … 851,893,350 1.1 1.2 1916 … 948,506,492 0.4 0.6 1917 … 1,064,164,678 0.7 0.6 1918 … 1,316,150,903 0.8 1.2 1919 … 1,626,156,212 88 2.4 No figures available. 1920 … 1,932,648,881 88 2.4 1921 … 1,085,500,061 74 14.8 (d) 16.1 1922 … 1,003,098,899 86 15.2 13.6 1923 … 1,096,226,214 96 11.3 11.4 1924 … 1,277,439,144 107 8.1 10.3 1925 … 1,320,293,013(e) 109(e) 10.5 (f) 11.1(f) (a) As from 1st April, 1923, imports from the Irish Free State have been included and imports into the Irish Free State from countries outside the British Isles excluded. (b) The figures relate to the United Kingdom up to and including 1921 in the case of Trade Union Members, and up to and including 1918 in the case of insured workpeople. From these points they relate to Great Britain. (c)Mean of four months. (d)The figures from January, 1921, exclude pottery trade operatives. (e) These figures relate to the 12 months ended 30th November, 1925. (f) Mean of 11 months ended November, 1925.