HC Deb 14 June 1927 vol 207 cc833-4W
Sir J. POWER

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is proposed to resume the publication of the Statistical Abstract for Foreign Countries, which was discontinued after the outbreak of the great War?

Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER

As my hon. Friend may be aware, the League of Nations issue certain publications, the general purpose of which is similar to that of the Statistical Abstract for Foreign Countries formerly issued in this country, namely, an annual Memorandum on Balance of Payments and Foreign Trade Balances, in two volumes, and an annual International Statistical Year Book. In addition to these yearly publications, a number of special reports and memoranda prepared for the recent International Economic Conference at Geneva have been published by the League of Nations. A list of these is given on the covers of the Report of the Conference, which has also been published.

In the circumstances, I doubt whether the cost and labour involved in resuming the publication of the Statistical Abstract could be justified, at least for the present. I will, however, bear the matter in mind.