§ 28. Mr. George Jegerasked the Minister of Food if he has now disposed of all his purchases of wines.
§ Mr. WebbYes, Sir, and I am pleased to say that the completed accounts show that, on the whole transaction, after meeting all expenses, my Department has made a profit of £75,901 on Algerian wine and £19,000 on Italian wine. With permission, I will circulate the details in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. JegerWill my right hon. Friend bring these very satisfactory facts to the attention of the Conservative Party for use as speakers' notes, and also bring them to the attention of radio and music-hall comedians?
§ Commander NobleCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether this Question came as a complete surprise to him?
§ Sir W. DarlingDoes the Minister's answer take account of the Algerian wine sold to the Kitchen Committee?
| Wine | Quantity | C.I.F. cost | Landing, housing, storing and agent's commission | Total cost | Proceeds of sales | Profit |
| Gallons | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Algerian | 1,579,854 (a) | 381,345 (c) | 104,640 | 485,985 | 561,886 | 75,901 |
| Italian including Marsala | 128,154(b) | 140,478 | 13,292 | 153,770 | 172,770 | 19,000 |
| Total, all wines | 1,708,008 | 521,823 | 117,932 | 639,755 | 734,656 | 94,901 |
| NOTE.—(a) Including 531,656 gallons sold to Germany. | ||||||
| (b) Including 62,154 gallons of Marsala. | ||||||
| (c) The wine was bought at many different prices over the period. |