§ 36. Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Food the present cost, on an annual basis, of administering food rationing.
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeIt is not practicable to isolate the cost of rationing from the costs of the Department as a whole, but the annual cost of local food control is at present estimated at about£8½ million.
§ Sir W. SmithersIs not this expenditure a sheer waste of public money, and does not my right hon. and gallant Friend realise that the law of supply and demand will always assert itself sooner or later? I have said it before. Controls are the cause of shortages. Can my right hon. and gallant Friend say on what date he expects to end rationing?
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeI am sure that my hon. Friend will realise that as long as certain basic foods are in short supply, rationing is quite inevitable, and that it is quite impossible to have rationing without the expenditure of public money. The end of rationing will depend on the supply position.
§ Mr. MikardoDoes not the right hon. and gallant Gentleman realise the danger he is in, because it seems to be a perilous thing to give the hon. Member for Orpington (Sir W. Smithers) an answer which does not satisfy him?