§ 31. Colonel Ropnerasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the high price of offals; and whether he will consider the advisability of encouraging the importation of whole grain by a limitation of the imports of flour, with a view to increasing the production of offals in this country?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithThe average price of wheat offals during the last three months has been substantially lower than in the corresponding periods of the two previous years and below the average of the last five years. As regards the second part of the question I would point out that a limitation of flour imports would not necessarily increase the total supply of offals, seeing that if the whole of the flour imported in 1938 had been milled in this country the supply of milling offals would have been increased by only 7 per cent., even if there had not been a corresponding decrease in imports of wheat offals as such, which represented 27 per cent., of the total supply of offals in that year.
Mr. De la BèreAre not the price-fixing associations among the millers responsible for the very high prices which have prevailed over a long period and will not my right hon. Friend do something to put the matter on a sound basis for all time?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithThat is another question.
§ Mr. MacquistenWould not an increase of 7 per cent. in the production of any commodity bring down the price tremendously?