§ 33. Mr. Sorensenasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether in view of the cocoa hold-up in the Gold Coast, he will request the commission of inquiry to consider introducing a scheme of Government purchase at a fixed equitable minimum price, thus giving security to the growers and affording a stimulus to co-operation and bulk transport?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreNo, Sir. The Commission have been appointed to examine and report upon the situation, and they have the fullest freedom to make any recommendations which they think fit.
§ Mr. SorensenWould it not be helpful to them to suggest some kind of scheme such as that mentioned in the question?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreWhen the Government appoint an independent commission to inquire into a question it is not for the Government to make suggestions.
§ Mr. SorensenWould it be possible for Members of this House or other persons to send schemes to the commission?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreCertainly. If the hon. Member cares to send it to the Secretary of the Commission of Inquiry which will leave for Africa next week, he is perfectly free to do so.
§ 34. Mr. Burkeasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action he proposes to take in order to secure the lifting of the boycott on British goods arising out of the dispute between farmers and cocoa buyers on the Gold Coast?
§ 36. Sir Walter Smilesasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he is taking to prevent the operations of the cocoa pool having serious repercussions on the exports of Lancashire cotton-piece goods to West Africa?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreI am fully aware of the serious effects which the present cocoa hold-up in West Africa has had on the local demand for European goods and in particular cotton-piece goods; but since the purchasing power of the natives is so largely dependent on the money obtained by sales of their cocoa, I cannot forsee a resumption of the normal trade in European goods until the farmers have sold their current crop. As the hon. Members are aware, I have recently appointed an independent commission to investigate the whole position; and although the commission's report cannot be expected for some time, I am still hopeful that its appointment may lead to some change for the better in the situation.
§ Mr. BurkeIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that this boycott is not likely to be lifted until this pool of cocoa buyers is dissolved; that these people are buying cocoa there at £19 a ton which is selling here for £200 a ton, and that the effect on the Lancashire cotton trade has been to reduce exports from 20,000,000 square yards in January, 1937, to 5,000,000 square yards in January, 1938?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreI must demur to the suggestion that cocoa in any market in the world is fetching £200 a ton.
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreNo, Sir. The present world price is about £23 a ton. That is about the world price of cocoa in the New York and London markets, and the hon. Member's figures are misleading. I have no control over the trading firms, British and French, who have come to this agreement.
§ Mr. BurkeIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that while cocoa is being obtained out there at £19 a ton, it is retailed over here to consumers at £200 a ton?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreThe people who buy cocoa on the Gold Coast buy the cocoa crop off the trees, which is a very different matter from manufactured cocoa 1092 as we eat it. It fetches, as I say, in the markets of the world about £23 a ton.
§ Miss WilkinsonThe Minister will surely agree that my hon. Friend's figures were correct, and that cocoa is being sold at the rate of two shillings a pound to the housewife?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreNo, certainly not; that is not the same cocoa. The manufactured cocoa of Fry's and Rowntree's is quite different from the cocoa on the Gold Coast.