§ 8. Lieut.-Colonel Sir A. LAMBERT WARDasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet been able to ascertain what reductions have been made in the retail price of chocolate and cocoa derivatives since July, 1930; and whether they have been commensurate with the fall in the wholesale price of raw Accra cocoa?
§ Mr. W. GRAHAMNo official information regarding the price of chocolate is available. Information in possession of the Ministry of Labour indicates that the usual retail price of certain well-known standard proprietary brands of cocoa was 2s. 0d. per lb. at the end of July, 1930, and 1s. 9d. per lb. at the end of April, 1931. As recorded in the "Statist," the price of f.f. Accra cocoa, 965 f.o.b. Gold Coast, was 34s. 9d. per cwt. at the end of July, 1930, and 19s. 3d. per cwt. at the end of April, 1931.
§ Mr. A. M. SAMUELWhat is the cause of the percentage discrepancy in the fall of the retail and wholesale prices?
§ Mr. GRAHAMIt would be difficult to go into that in reply to a supplementary question.
§ Sir A. LAMBERT WARDDoes it not practically come to this, that the wholesale price of the raw material at Accra has fallen by merely 50 per cent., whereas the retail price of the manufactured article has fallen by only 5 per cent.?
§ Mr. GRAHAMI cannot, off-hand, commit myself to the precise percentages, but it is undeniable that there is considerable disparity.