§ 64. Major KELLEYasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he can give the average shares in the retail cost of a pint of beer which are taken respectively by the Excise, the publican, and the brewer; and which of these three parties is the profiteer?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONI have been asked to reply. For beer of the average gravity brewed in the early months of the current year and sold at 7d. a pint, the Excise Duty represents 3⅓d. per pint. The inquiries made in my Department lead to the conclusion that the division of the remainder is, approximately, 2d. for brewers' costs and profits and 1⅔d. for retailing expenses and profits. These proportions represent average conditions, not the charges on every kind of beer. I am unable to assist my hon. and gallant Friend in providing an answer to the last part of his question.
§ Major KELLEYIs my hon. Friend aware that the brewer gets less than a half-penny a pint and the publican a little more than a half-penny, and therefore how is it possible to reduce it a penny a pint to the public without very great loss?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONI think my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, in answer to a question on Monday, made an approximate calculation that a penny a pint represented£30,000,000.