§ 18. Captain RONALD HENDERSONasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the percentage fall in the value of cocoa f.f. Accra f.o.b. as at 28th February, 1931, as compared with the average price during 1913, and, similarly, the percentage fall in the retail price of beverage cocoa and 968 confectionery chocolate as at 28th February, 1931, as compared with the average price during 1913?
§ Mr. W. GRAHAMComparable quotations for cocoa f.f. Accra f.o.b. for 1913 and February, 1931, are not available. The price of this cocoa, as recorded in the "Statist," was 20s. 9d. per cwt. on 26th February, 1931. The corresponding figure for 1913 is not available but the average value of the raw cocoa exported from the Gold Coast in 1913 was £2 9s. 3d. per cwt. Information in possession of the Ministry of Labour indicates that the usual retail price of certain well-known standard proprietary brands of cocoa was 1s. 9d. per lb. at the beginning of February, 1931; in July, 1914, the prices of such cocoa usually ranged from 2s. 4d. to 2s. 8d. per lb. The average price of loose cocoa was about 1s. per lb. at the beginning of February, 1931, and about 1s. 2d. to 1s. 3d. per lb. in July, 1914. No information regarding the retail price of confectionery chocolate is available.