§ 41. Mr. Pethick-Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for India the latest estimate of the rise in the cost of living in India since 1939, and whether he can give an assurance that further inflation will be prevented or rigidly controlled?
§ The Secretary of State for India (Mr. Amery)No cost-of-living index numbers are available for India as a whole. The working-class cost-of-living index for Bombay City, which is the most reliable guide, showed a figure of 225 for the month of April last, as compared with 105 for August, 1939. The Government of India have put into effect a considerable number of measures designed to combat the danger of inflation, and will not hesitate to take such further steps as may be required.
§ Mr. SorensenIs it not true that wages in this area have risen far less than the cost of living?
§ Mr. AmeryWages have, I think, risen by some 75 per cent., and there are also cost-of-living allowances in addition.
§ Mr. LipsonWhy have the Government of India been less successful in preventing inflation in India than the Government of this country?