§ Mr. DUCKWORTHasked the Minister of Agriculture if he can state the percentage of sugar unextracted from the beets handled by British sugar factories; and how this figure compares with the percentage of sugar unextracted by the sugar-beet industry in the United States?
Mr. GUINNESSIn the case of the United States I am informed that the percentage of recovery of sugar to the total sucrose in the beets was 84.75 in the period 1914–20 and 86.21 in 1924. In view of the fact that the sugar-beet factories in this country are mostly in their first or second year of working, I do not think that a fair comparison can be made between their average results and those of the old-established factories in the United States. I am not in a position to publish the results obtained by individual factories.
§ Sir W. de FRECEasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of subsidy paid in 1925–26 to the British sugar-beet factories?
Mr. GUINNESSI have been asked to reply. The total subsidy paid to date in respect of home-grown beet sugar and molasses produced during the 1925–26 manufacturing season is £1,092,365 4s. 5d.