HC Deb 25 February 1960 vol 618 c561
20. Mr. Cronin

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the relative rates at which wages and national output increased in 1959.

Mr. Barber

I regret that the information on which to base such a comparison is not yet available.

Mr. Cronin

Is it not the case that national output increased at much the same rate as wages increased during 1959? Is not that information available to the Treasury? Also, does not this indicate that the relative stability of prices in 1959 was almost entirely due to the moderation of trade unions in pressing wage claims?

Mr. Barber

The fact is that it is quite impossible at the moment to give the information which the hon. Member requires. Estimates of wages and salaries and of the gross national product for the calendar year 1959 will not be available until the end of March.

Mr. Cronin

Does the hon. Member realise how unsatisfactory his reply is, as this information is freely available in economic journals?

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