§ 38. Sir WALTER PRESTONasked the Minister of Agriculture whether the Government scheme for the marketing of milk arid milk products will be available before September, when the producers and distributors meet to fix prices for the following year?
§ The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE (Sir John Gilmour)The Reorganisation Commission for Milk which, as announced yesterday in the House, I have now constituted, will be asked to submit a scheme without avoidable delay, but after the Commission's scheme has been considered and submitted by producers, it would not be safe to allow much less than nine months for the various preliminary stages laid down in the Act to be completed. I am afraid, therefore, that the scheme cannot be available in time to come into operation before 1933.
§ Sir W. PRESTONIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that, if the price of milk is dependent upon the Milk Combine for another 12 months, every farmer in the West of England who has to rely on his milk trade will be bankrupt, and can nothing be done to hasten things?
§ Sir J. GILMOURI am hoping that the outcome of the steps we are taking to deal with the milk problem will be a better organisation among the producers of milk.