§ 41. Sir L. Plummerasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the proposed increase in the retail price of milk, he will introduce legislation to amend Section 7 (1) of the Sale of Food (Weights and Measures) Act, 1926, with a view to ensuring that a dairyman shall have milk in half-pint bottles available at all reasonable times.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade (Mr. F. J. Erroll)No, Sir. It would be outside the scope of the Weights and Measures law to require a trader to keep milk available in any particular quantity.
§ Sir L. PlummerIs the Minister aware that a firm like the Express Dairy Company, a very wealthy firm, is now refusing to supply old-age pensioners with milk in half-pint bottles, and is he aware that that is a considerable hardship to people who have no mechanical means of keeping milk cool? If he has no power, will he at least ask his right hon. Friend to 1546 express to the company Her Majesty's Government's disapproval of this particularly harsh and mean action?
§ Mr. ErrollI will certainly draw the attention of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture to what the hon. Member for Deptford (Sir L. Plummer) has said.