§ 43. Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Food how many tons of carrots were bought recently by his Department at £9 5s. per ton loose and £9 12s. 6d. in sacks; how many tons were sold at 56s. 6d. per ton loose and 64s. in sacks; and how many tons are still unsold.
§ Mr. StracheyThirty-one thousand tons have so far been bought under the guarantee. About 3,000 tons have been sold for stock-feeding, the bulk of them loose, leaving 28,000 tons to be sold.
§ Sir W. SmithersThe Minister has not told me what the loss is. May I ask him, as I have asked him before, when he will realise that if he breaks the law of supply and demand, it will break him and the country?
§ Mr. StracheyI cannot inform the hon. Member of the loss, as 28,000 tons have not yet been sold. Until they have been sold, we shall not know what the loss is. If the hon. Member wishes the guarantees on this and other agricultural prices to the farmer to be abrogated, he should say so.