§ 85. Mr. JOHNSTONasked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the report of the Potato Marketing Board upon the experiment in the sale of 181 tons of surplus potatoes at the reduced price of 4d. per stone to the unemployed in Bishop Auckland; and whether, as the experiment has demonstrated the fact that there is a demand for potatoes which can be increased by 64 per cent. among the poor, and that it is possible for the people in the special areas to eat the food surpluses of the market, he can say why this scheme is not being rapidly developed in other special areas?
§ Mr. ELLIOTAs I indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mr. Lennox-Boyd) on 5th December, I have read with interest the report of the Potato Marketing Board on the experiment they carried out in the distribution of potatoes at specially low prices to the unemployed at Bishop Auckland. The Board have been giving 1112 consideration to certain tentative proposals for further experiments designed to test the effect on consumption of a reduction in price, but I understand that having regard to the supply position, the Board do not consider the present season an opportune one for further experiments of this kind.
§ Mr. HARDIESeeing that the right hon. Gentleman has read this report and has admitted that it is good, will he be in favour now of restricting the catching of fish and trying to apply the same method of getting cheap fish along with potatoes, which will constitute a good meal?
Mr. J. J. DAVIDSONIs the right hon. Gentleman aware of the fact that the farmers in the Inverness district have been penalised from distributing freely small unmarketable potatoes to the poor of that district?
§ Mr. ELLIOTI should require notice of that question.