§ Sir H. CROFTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the difficulty in accurately gauging imports and exports from and to British Possessions and foreign countries, he will consider the possibility of amending the tables in the Trade and Navigation Returns, so that under the heading Countries the last heading, Other countries, may be subdivided into British and foreign countries?
60Wcomparing them with the corresponding months of the previous year?
§ Mr. H. WILLIAMSthe following table shows the declared values of the total exports from the United Kingdom, distinguishing agricultural machinery, registered as consigned to Russia in the six months July to December, 1926 and 1927:
Mr. H.WILLIAMSThe following table shows the total quantities of the undermentioned descriptions of corn offals imported into and exported from Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the year 1927:
§ Mr. H. WILLIAMSTo carry out such a separation as is suggested in the question, throughout the whole list of articles shown in the monthly Trade Accounts, would cause a large amount of additional work. Apart from the expense, this would necessarily delay the publication of the Accounts, and I regard the earliest possible publication of the monthly figures of our trade as of great importance. I regret, therefore, that I cannot see my way to adopt the proposal. The position with regard to the details 61W given is, however, reviewed annually, and whenever a change is considered to be advantageous it is made. I would point out that the separation suggested is carried out in the Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom, while quarterly figures of the total value of our trade with each country are published in the monthly Accounts. Moreover, British and foreign countries are already shown separately in the monthly tables in respect of the principal dutiable imports of food, drink and tobacco on which British countries receive a preferential tariff.