Mr. Guestasked the President of the. Board of Trade whether in view of the limitation, in accordance with the Ottawa Agreement, of Dominion supplies of mutton and lamb to approximately 65 per cent. of the standard year July 1931 to June 1932, he will, taking the statistics of such imports during the last 12 months for which figures are available, state what has been the exact percentage during that period?
Mr. StanleyThe Agreements made at Ottawa with Australia and New Zealand did not provide for a reduction of Dominion shipments. They did, however, provide for progressive reductions in the quantities of frozen mutton and lamb to be imported into the United Kingdom from foreign countries in each quarter, of the period the 1st January, 1933, to the 30th June, 1934, as compared with imports in the corresponding quarters of the 12 months ended the 30th June, 1932, and for the continuance after the 30th June, 1934, unless otherwise agreed by the respective Governments of the regulation of foreign supplies at the level agreed for the period April-June 1934, namely, 65 per cent. of the imports in the basic period. Imports of mutton and lamb from foreign countries in the year 1937 represented 67 per cent. of such imports in the Ottawa standard year.