67. Captain COOTEasked the Minister of Food whether any concessions in the price of sugar are allowed to jam manufacturers or whether they have to pay the same price as the ordinary consumer?
§ Mr. McCURDYThe price at present being paid by jam manufacturers for sugar is 150s. per cwt., the same price as that paid by all other manufacturers. The domestic consumer is, however, at present charged at a much lower rate.
§ 69. Major WHELERasked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the value of jam as an article of daily diet, he will consider the desirability of increasing considerably the proposed allowance of sugar for jam making to private individuals who make declarations as to the amount of fruit available for jam this year, even if, in order to make this increased allowance, he has to curtail the amount of sugar now allowed for the making of sweets?
§ Mr. McCURDYI do not consider that the increase in the allocation for domestic preserving made possible by any further reduction in the amount of sugar used for confectionery purposes would be commensurate with the distress and unemployment which this action would cause in the confectionery trade generally. The quantity of sugar issued to manufacturers of confectionery has already been cut down to one-half of that used in 1915.
§ 70. Mr. A. PARKINSONasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what was the price paid by jam manufacturers for sugar in each of the years 1913 to 1920; and what was the price charged to the domestic users during the same years?
§ Mr. McCURDYI have no information as to the prices paid for sugar by jam manufacturers prior to the War; the price paid by domestic users in 1913 was about 2d. per lb. I will send the hon. Member, as soon as possible, a statement showing 228 the variations in the wholesale and retail prices of sugar from the date of the establishment of the Royal Commission on Sugar Supplies to the present day.