§ Mr. SUTCLIFFEasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he has statistics showing how the imports of Japanese cotton goods into British colonies since their imposition have compared with the similar period immediately before their imposition; and whether he can issue similar figures for those colonies and mandated territories which have been prevented by treaties, or for other reasons, from imposing such quotas?
Mr. THOMASI am able to supply approximate figures only since the statistics of the various Dependencies are not all kept on a comparable basis. The imports of Japanese cotton piece goods into those Colonial Dependencies, with a few minor exceptions, in which the quota system is in force totalled in the first quarter of 1934 (when the quotas were not in operation), some 51 million linear yards. In the same period of 1935 the total was some 10 million linear yards. As regards those Dependencies in which the quota system is not in operation, the figures for the two quarters are 20 million linear yards and 27 million linear yards. These figures do not include imports into a few minor Dependencies, Hong Kong (the trade of which is predominately of an entrepot nature) and Palestine, for which comparable statistics are not available.