§ Mr. LYONSasked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether, in view of the fact that the recorded figures of tobacco imports into this country from Southern Rhodesia and the United States of America for the month of March, 1935, are 6, 394 pounds and 2, 038, 160 pounds, respctively, he will consider the application of a quota to increase the tobacco purchases of this country from available Empire sources?
Mr. THOMASI should see very great difficulty in accepting this suggestion, but I would remind my hon. and learned Friend that tobacco grown within the Empire receives a preference of over 2s. per lb. on importation into the United Kingdom, and that imports of tobacco from Southrn Rhodesia during the last few years have shown a very satisfactory increase. While the figures which he quotes are correct, so far as importations of unmanufactured stripped tobacco during March, 1935, are concerned, they do not give a reliable indication of the proportions of the importations of tobacco which normally arrive from the United States and Southern Rhodesia, respectively.