Dollar-Earning Capacity

HC Deb 16 December 1949 vol 470 c341W

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will indicate in detail the dollar-earning capacity of the Colonial Empire.

Mr. Creech Jones

Approximately 70 per cent. of the gross dollar earnings of the Colonial territories is accounted for by three commodities—rubber, tin and cocoa. Sugar to Canada is an item of growing relative importance and sisal and a few other commodities could be mentioned as contributors of a small part of the total. The balance is made up of a large number of very small items.