§ 23. Mr. WATTasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether Scottish buyers are asked to pay the same price for controlled tea as buyers on the spot in London, although the former have to pay railway carriage thereafter, which comes off their margin of profit; if so, will the Department arrange for a Scottish centre of selling so as to put the tea trade of Scotland on the same level as that of England?
§ Colonel GIBBSThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. 741 It has not been found practicable to establish a distributing centre for tea in Scotland, but I may point out that the additional cost of transport is very small, being estimated at about ¼d. per lb.