§ 17. Sir NICHOLAS GRATTAN-DOYLEasked the President of the Board of Trade the average wholesale price of raw cocoa and the average retail price of proprietary and non-proprietary chocolate and cocoa products so as to show the relative percentage fall in wholesale and retail prices since 1928?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAAs this answer is somewhat long and includes a number of figures, I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ following is the answer:
§ As recorded in the "Statist" the price of f.f. Accra cocoa, f.o.b. Gold Coast, was 43s. 3d. per cwt. at 27th December, 1928, and 26s. 6d. per cwt. at 5th November, 1931, a reduction of 16s. 9d. per cwt., or 39 per cent. 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. per lb. in December, 1928, and 1s. 9d. per lb at the beginning of November, 1931, a reduction of 3d. per lb., i.e. 28s. per cwt., or 12½ per cent. The average retail price of loose cocoa was approximately Is. 0½d. per lb. in December, 1928, and Is. per lb. at the beginning of November, 1931, or 4 per cent. lower. No information is collected officially as to the re-
650§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe total imports from the Soviet Union were £34,235,000, and the total exports of produce and manufactures of the United Kingdom, £6,771,000, and of imported merchandise exported from the United Kingdom, £2,519,000.
§ Following is the statement:
§ tail prices of chocolate and cocoa products.