§ 30. Sir Waldron Smithersasked the Minister of Food if he will give the tonnage of stocks of ware potatoes in the country in possession and not in possession of the Ministry of Food, respectively, at the latest available date.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food (Dr. Edith Summer-skill)On 8th June we held 18,500 tons, which we expect will be used by the end of this week. Other stocks are negligible.
§ Sir W. SmithersCan the hon. Lady say what is the stock of potatoes not in the possession of the Ministry?
§ Dr. SummerskillIt is negligible.
§ Sir W. SmithersThen why did the Ministry take the important decision to ration potatoes when they did not know the total stocks in the country? Does the hon. Lady not now realise that rationing was completely unnecessary, and that all the Department's dealing in swedes and turnips resulted in a loss of money?
§ Mr. SpeakerThat is a wider question.
§ 36. Mr. Collinsasked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the losses sustained by private importers of new potatoes through competition with each other in the foreign market and the consequent payment of unnecessarily high prices, he will take steps to avoid this excess expenditure of foreign exchange by pursuing in suitable circumstances the policy of bulk buying which has proved successful with other commodities.
§ Dr. SummerskillMy right hon. Friend did not consider that bulk buying would be appropriate for the relatively small quantity involved, and he had hoped that private traders would not misjudge the market as apparently they did.
§ Mr. CollinsIs my hon. Friend aware that the market was badly misjudged on this occasion, resulting in a large and unnecessary expenditure of sterling? In similar circumstances will it not be possible to give rather more than moral encouragement to associations of representative traders who could organise voluntary distribution, and give a good service to the public at a reasonable price?
§ Dr. SummerskillWe shall consider it.
§ Mr. BaldwinWould it not be better that the private trader should lose his own money and learn something, rather than that the Ministry of Food should lose the taxpayers' money and not learn a lesson?
§ Sir W. Smithersrose—
§ Mr. SpeakerMr. Thomas Reid.
§ Sir W. SmithersDo let me have another question, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member has had several opportunities already.
§ 40. General Sir George Jeffreysasked the Minister of Food what is the reason for the dumping of about 1,000 tons of imported cooking potatoes near Swanmore, Hampshire, and for these potatoes being offered for sale for either pig and poultry food, or human consumption, at 4s. 3d. per cwt. or £4 per ton; what was the cost to his Ministry, including cost of transport, of these potatoes; and whether he will take steps with a view to avoiding such bad bargaining for the public in future.
§ Dr. SummerskillOf 792 tons of imported potatoes temporarily stored near Swanmore, 174 tons were sold for stock feeding as they were not keeping. The loss incurred by not being able to sell them for human consumption was about £1,100. My right hon. Friend would certainly not agree to any change of policy that would prevent our insuring against a critical shortage even at the risk of a small surplus.
§ Sir G. JeffreysIs the hon. Lady aware that I have seen and eaten some of these potatoes, which were sold as food for pigs at £4 per ton? They were perfectly good, as were the great majority of the consignment. This is a scandal in that part of the world. Can she say what it cost the Ministry to purchase the potatoes?
§ Dr. SummerskillI have already said that the loss was £, but I will let the hon. and gallant Member have the whole cost.
§ Mr. Godfrey NicholsonAre we to understand that when a private trader makes mistakes in the market he is blamed for it, but that when the Ministry make mistakes it is called insurance?
§ Dr. SummerskillI would like the hon. Gentleman and others who have put down Questions on potatoes to know that the quantity of potatoes sold as stock food and to Germany during last year is one-tenth of 1 per cent. of the total supply. I would like them to compare that with the figure during the war, which was 3.5 per cent. per year of the total supply.
§ Sir G. JeffreysIs the hon. Lady aware that it is currently stated that the price paid for these potatoes was £16 per ton? Is she aware that it was freely stated in the neighbourhood of Southampton that several shiploads were diverted back to the Continent?
§ Dr. SummerskillIf the hon. and gallant Gentleman will let me have details I will inquire into the matter further. He has not given them, to me; he has raised the matter in the House.