§ 70. Mr. Ronald Chamberlainasked the Minister of Food, whether he will discontinue the practice of allocating profit margins to first-hand salesmen in future Orders regarding onions, tomatoes, pears, etc., with a view to abolishing this unnecessary link and reducing the burden of cost to the housewife.
§ Mr. StracheyI cannot say in advance which profit margins will or will not be prescribed in future maximum prices Orders, since this must depend on the circumstances at the time. In the present shortage of onions, pears and tomatoes, first-hand salesmen are most necessary to ensure distribution to inland markets.
§ Mr. ChamberlainCould the right hon. Gentleman say what functions, other than merely bookkeeping functions, these first-hand salesmen perform; and is he not aware that this system makes it possible for wholesaler-importers to secure three profit margins, that is to say, as importer, first-hand salesman and wholesaler?
§ Mr. StracheyNo, Sir. We are informed that we should not be able to cover the inland markets and get a uniform distribution over the country if we abolished this system.