Captain A. EVANSasked the President of the Board of Trade if he can give an estimate of the amount of British coal which would be required by iron and steel works, and the extra number of men who would consequently be employed, if the 3,000,000 tons of raw steel which is annually imported into this country were produced here and the extra freights which would be carried by the railways, and to w hat extent the latter would gain?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe net imports of iron and steel and manufactures thereof in the first 10 months of 1928 amounted to 2,473,000 tons. The rate of import of all classes of such iron and steel products is thus at present about 3,000,000 tons for the current year. It is not possible, on account of differences in practice, to make a close estimate of the amount of coal which would he required if this additional quantity of iron and steel were manufactured in this country, but the amount would probably lie between 7,000,000 and 10,000,000 tons. I am unable to state the extra employment and the extra railway freights which would ensue, but, according to estimates made by the trade, the production in this country of 3,000,000 tons of steel billets gives employment to some 110,000 men.