§ Mr. Osborneasked the Lord Privy Seal what were the quantities and the average prices of the 10 chief materials for which he is now responsible, imported last year; 54W and what are the corresponding prices to-day.
§ Mr. StokesThe quantities imported during 1950 of 10 of the principal materials for which my Department is now responsible were:
Materials Unit Year 1950 Aluminium Ions 141,201 Cattle hides Ions 100,835 Copper Ions 317,949 Cotton Mn. 1bs. 1,011 Lead Tons 171,888 Rubber Tons 253,491 Softwood (incl. sleepers and boxboards) Stds. 881,332 Wool Mn. lbs. 704 Woodpulp Tons 1,431,161 Zinc Tons 141,918 Shipments imported in any period will include material purchased on different dates and, therefore, at varying prices and no reliable estimate can be given of the average prices paid for imports of individual commodities in any particular period. The following table, however, gives the increase between 1950 and June this year in the average prices at which these principal materials were being quoted in this country. The percentages are calculated from the wholesale price index numbers given in the Board of Trade Journal of 14th July, 1951. For several commodities, today's prices are considerably below the levels reached in the spring of this year.
PERCENTAGE INCREASE BETWEEN AVERAGE 1950 AND AVERAGE JUNE, 1951 Aluminium, virgin ingot, delivered 9 Copper, H.C. electrolytic, delivered 31 Cotton raw, (Raw Cotton Commission's selling price) 57 Hides and skins imported c.i.f. U.K.ports 41 Lead, soft foreign pig, delivered 50 Rubber, No. 1 R.S.S. one month future 36 Softwood, imported, c.i.f. U.K. ports 61 Wool, raw 13 Woodpulp for paper making, c.i.f. East Coast 143 Zinc, good ordinary brand, delivered 34