§ Colonel Burtonasked the Minister of Economic Warfare whether he is satisfied that the increased import of 8,351,708 pounds of copper into Switzerland was not wholly or in part destined for re-export for enemy use?
§ Mr. CrossI am not certain to what period my hon. and gallant Friend refers. According to the Swiss official statistics, an extract from which is given below, imports of copper bars into Switzerland have markedly increased during the first three months of the current year as compared with the first three months of 1939, but exports to greater Germany are by no means abnormal.
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Switzerland—Imports and Exports of Copper. (Abstracted from the official Swiss Trade Returns.) Commodity. Imports. — Exports. 1938. 1939. January-March, 1939. January-March, 1940. 1938. 1939. January-March, 1939. January-March, 1940. M. tons. M. tons. Copper ores, filings and turnings 1,055 1,512 42 210 Total exports … … … 1,363 1,139 418 431 of which to (a) Greater Germany … … … 527 260 116 121 Copper and copper alloys in bars, pigs, slabs, etc. 19,377 25,088 5,808 15,147 Total exports … … … 155 217 82 11 of which to Greater Germany 3 11 11 — Waste, old bell and gun metal 103 241 76 129 Total exports … … … 957 535 233 — of which to Greater Germany 281 205 55 — Hammered, rolled and drawn—in bars and sheets. 1,613 1,507 382 234 Total exports … … … 6,952 5,388 1,427 1,444 of which to Greater Germany 145 60 11 — Wire 1,475 1,531 212 60 Total exports … … … 1,839 1,488 389 784 of which to Greater Germany 4 — — 300 (a) Greater Germany includes Old Reich, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland.