§ 82. Sir Arthur Salterasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, without giving details of individual stocks he can state if the total public and private stocks of wheat in this country now exceed the quantities at the same date last year by an amount approximately equal to the recent Government purchases?
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade (Mr. Cross)The answer is in the negative. At this time of the year, when we are within reach of the home harvest, stocks of imported wheat are usually at their lowest. Commercial stocks are, at present, somewhat less than they have been in recent years in view of the reduction in the price of wheat for delivery in October as compared with supplies in the present month.
§ Sir A. SalterMay I ask the Minister whether, when we were informed that we should not infer the volume of additional food reserves of the country from the expenditure that has been incurred, the meaning was that the volume of the 2186 addition was less than the expenditure indicated, and not more, as the context of that statement certainly suggested?