HC Deb 27 July 1951 vol 491 c107W
Mr. Ellis Smith

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out in tabular form the prices, f.o.b. tonnage costs of sanitary ware, china clay per ton and British excess cost percentage over Holland for the years 1930, 1934, 1938 and 1945.

Sir H. Shawcross

Information about Dutch prices and costs is not available and the prices charged by firms in this country for their exports of china clay and sanitary ware are matters for them to settle with their customers. I regret, therefore, that I have no information which would enable me to answer my hon. Friend's Question.

TABLE 1.—PRICES PER TON
— 1932 June, 1937 July, 1937 Present
£ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d.
Pig Irons:
Cleveland No. 3 Foundry … 2 18 6 4 1 0 5 1 0 10 17 9
East Coast Haematite … 3 2 0 6 3 0 6 3 0 12 7 6
N.E. Coast Basic … 2 17 6 5 0 0 5 0 0 10 19 0
Billets, Soft Basic, Untested … 5 5 5 7 17 6 7 17 6 16 16 6
Angles … 8 7 6 11 0 6 11 0 6 20 1 6
Rails … 8 7 6 10 2 6 10 2 6 19 17 6
Plates … 8 16 3 11 8 0 11 8 0 21 3 0
Tinplate Bars … 4 17 10 7 15 0 7 15 0 17 6 6

TABLE 2.—COMPARISON OF IRON AND STEEL PRICES WITH PRICES OF OTHER COMMODITIES (BOARD OF TRADE WHOLESALE PRICES INDICES 1930 =100)
— 1934 (%) 1936 (%) 1939 (%) 1945 (%) 1951 (%)
Iron and Steel 98.7 106.6 131.5 188.8 278.1
Coal 102.5 (-3.7) 107.6 (-.9) 121.1 (+8.6) 237.0 (-20.4) 333.0 (-16.5)
Industrial Materials & Manufactures 89.7 (+10.0) 95.7 (+11.3) 105.5 (+24.6) 174.7 (+8.0) 370.4 (-24.9)
All articles 88.1 (+12.0) 94.4 (+12.9) 102.8 (+27.9) 169.0 (+11.8) 318.5 (-12.7)
The figures in brackets show the percentages by which the index figures for iron and steel prices exceeded or fell short of the index figures for prices of other commodities in each of the years stated.