§ 37. Mr. G. Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the-current price paid for sugar imported from British Guiana; how this price compares with prices in 1939 and during the war years; and whether he is satisfied that this price is an adequate return to the industry to enable it to provide its workers with satisfactory conditions of life.
§ Mr. George HallThe Ministry of Food's buying price for Colonial sugar is fixed with due regard to increases in costs, including wages and expenditure by the industry on workers' welfare. The. Ministry of Food's f.o.b. price for the 1946 crop of British Guiana sugar is £18 10s. per ton. In 1939, the equivalent price was £10 5s. Prices have risen at intervals during the war years and I will circulate the actual figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following are the figures:
§ F.o.b. prices, per ton, for British Guiana sugar (basis 96° polarisation):
| £ | s. | d. | ||||
| September, 1939 | … | … | … | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| June, 1940 | … | … | … | 11 | 12 | 6 |
| January, 1942 | … | … | … | 12 | 15 | 0 |
| January,1943 | … | … | … | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| January,1944 | … | … | … | 14 | 5 | 0 |
| January,1945 | … | … | … | 16 | 5 | 0 |
| January,1946 | … | … | … | 18 | 10 | 0 |