§ 62. Mr. W. THORNEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will bold an inquiry into the administration of the Government meat-importing arrangements; whether he is aware that the workers in the cold storage trade have expressed discontent with the control exercised by Sir Thomas Robinson and are demanding his resignation; and whether, seeing that it is unsatisfactory that control over the nation's food supply should be 1780 in the hands of a person interested in freezing works and shipping lines, who is the agent of a Colonial Government and not responsible to the British Parliament, and does not even possess a mandate from the Labour Government of Queensland to occupy such a position, he will say what action he proposes to take?
Mr. ROBERTSThe administration of the arrangements in connection with the sale for civilian consumption of Australasian meat not required by the Allied Armies is in the hands of the Board of Trade, who are always ready to consider any well-grounded criticisms. Tribute has been paid more than once in this House to the valuable services which the Board have received in connection with this matter from Sir Thomas Robinson, with the cordial approval of his Government, and my right hon. Friend feels that the suggestion contained in my hon. Friend's references to this gentleman is without warrant.
§ 63. Mr. THORNEasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will say who were the persons composing the deputation of Smithfield salesmen who in March last waited on Sir Thomas Robinson and induced him to withhold all Government imported meat from the market, so as to maintain home-killed at unprecedented values; whether he now recognises the effect produced by such persons and by Sir Thomas Robinson; whether he will remove Sir Thomas Robinson from the control of Government-imported meat; whether his attention was called to the proposal made in 1915 that the dockers and general workers, as unions of the men in the cold-storage trades, should be represented on any body controlling the distribution of Government-imported meat; and, if so, when he proposes to take action?
Mr. ROBERTSWith regard to the first part of the question, I have to refer my hon. Friend to the answers given on 22nd March to questions on this subject by my hon. Friend the Member for Merthyr Tydvil. With regard to the latter part of the question, I have to refer him to the answer given to his question 22 on 20th June, 1916.
§ 78. Mr. THORNEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he has yet completed the analysis proposed by his Department in 1781 March last of the books of Bates and Bates, Hartridge and Bates, Bates Brothers, and Chappell and Bates, as to the extent to which these firms had bought frozen meat and held it up with a view to raisings prices; whether he is aware that these firms speculated in London and Liverpool between October and March last in River Plate sheep and lambs and in boneless beef; whether he is now prepared to disclose those transactions; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent the recurrence of such practices?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANAn examination of the books of the firms in question was made in March last, but no evidence was found that meat had been held up with a view to raising prices. The Meat (Sales) Order made on the 31st ultimo limits the profits of such firms in respect of sales of meat other than as first importers.