141. Mr. Slaterasked the Minister of State, Board of Trade, as representing the Minister of Materials, how far he expects the stocks of sulphur this winter to fall short of what will be needed; and what steps he is taking to assist industry in this country to make good this shortage.
Mr. AmorySulphur stocks from now to the end of this year are not expected to fall below the level which industry has been in the habit of holding. Supplies of sulphur for next year are now under negotiation.
142. Mr. Slaterasked the Minister of State, Board of Trade, as representing the Minister of Materials, what stocks we have in this country of sulphur; and how our stock position compares with the position for the years 1951 and 1952.
Mr. AmoryStocks of sulphur at 30th September, 1953, were 109,000 tons. At the corresponding date in 1951 and 1952,180W stocks were 102,000 tons and 208,000 tons, respectively. The latter figure was unusually high owing to a drop in consumption.
§ 143. Mr. Chetwyndasked the Minister of State, Board of Trade as representing the Minister of Materials, the reason for the reduction in the import of sulphur from the United States of America in the first nine monhs of 1953.
Mr. AmoryIn the first quarter of this year imports were allocated by the Sulphur Committee of the International Materials Conference, and in the second and third quarters they were governed by the export quota allocations of the Government of the United States. These allocations took account of the relatively high stock position at the end of 1952 which followed a temporary reduction in demand.