§ Mr. W. THORNEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the quantities of frozen meat awaiting shipment at the meat works of Queensland and New Zealand and that the works are closing down for want of shipping space in the refrigerated vessels; whether he can state how this has arisen; and whether large refrigerated liners belonging to the Shire line and other companies have been used for short journeys, as from England to France and London to the North Sea Fleet, when other boats could easily have been fitted up with insulated space for such short journeys?
Mr. RUNCIMANI am quite aware that at the present moment stocks of frozen meat in Australia and New Zealand are in excess of what can be conveyed by the ships immediately available, but I am not informed that any works have been closed1060W down. The congestion is due in part to the fact that the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia have been compelled to use insulated ships as troopships, thus interfering to some extent with their full commercial use; several vessels have also been sunk or damaged. At the same time, the slaughter of cattle and sheep has been forced owing to the recent drought. Every effort is being made to remove the accumulation of stocks as speedily as possible, and in Australia, I understand, it is diminishing. Two vessels have been sent out to New Zealand in ballast at the expense of His Majesty's Government in order to relieve the situation. The vessels at present being used in convoying meat to the North Sea Fleet are vessels of small insulated capacity and are not in the Australian or New Zealand trades. One vessel usually employed in the Australian trade has been employed in conveying meat to France, as she was temporarily unfit for her regular trade, but she will soon be released. Certain vessels are being necesarily used as store-ships in ports where sufficient cold storage is not available.
§ Mr. THORNEalso asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in the sale of the commandeered meat of New Zealand and Australia, his Department will open an office in the vicinity of Smithfield Market at which a stock book of all goods the Government have to offer shall be kept; that it shall be possible for buyers of twenty sheep or lambs or upwards to obtain at such office store orders against cash at the Government's current price for the day; and, in the case of such buyers, will the Government adopt the principle which was formerly the rule of the imported River Plate meat industry, of rebating to the buyer the commission now paid to agents for selling the Government's meat on the market?
Mr. RUNCIMANI am not prepared to accept the suggestion of my hon. Friend that His Majesty's Government should undertake the sale of meat at offices, and through officers, under their direct control. Lender the system which has been adopted sheep and lambs are being regularly sold in smaller lots than twenty. The last part of the question does not in the circumstances arise.
§ Mr. THORNEnext asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his Advisory Committee have drawn up their scheme of sale for commandeered 1061W meat without regard to the needs of the nation and with the sole object of retaining the control of certain firms over certain brands of goods which they have been accustomed to handle; why, in view of the discontent with the Board of Trade, he does not publish his Advisory Committee's Report; whether certain firms like H. S. Fitter and Sons, Thomas Borthwick and Sons, and the Colonial Consignment Company are allowed to sell Government meat on commission for what the market will give, while other firms, who have to sell their goods in competition with these, have to pay a fixed price; whether, seeing that this arrangement enables these firms to crush the others out of the market, although both classes are equally British taxpayers, the Government, when they have goods to sell on commission, will spread them equally between all market firms selling frozen meat; and will he say whether one of his Advisory Committee is also chairman of the Colonial Consignment Company above referred to?
Mr. RUNCIMANI can assure my hon. Friend that if the Report of the Advisory Committee has been drawn up for the purposes which he suggests, I would not "have adopted it. I must also point out that his question involves charges of grave breach of public duty against the High Commissioner for New Zealand and the Agent-General for Queensland, both of them distinguished public servants of unquestioned probity. It is true that the chairman of the Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company was consulted by me, and, as I have already stated, I am satisfied that his business interests do not preclude him from giving independent advice. I have also to add that before the Report of the Committee was adopted representatives of the retail butchers were consulted by the Board of Trade. Not only have no complaints been made to the Board of Trade as to the way in which the sales of meat are conducted, but I also understand that the market is satisfied with the arrangements which have been made. All meat is sold at the market price of the day, no difference being made between one firm and another, and the firms acting as Government agents are the same firms who in the past have handled the respective parcels of meat from the several freezing Works. This procedure has received the assent of the Australasian Governments. I am not aware that any firms have been crushed1062W out of the market, but I would add that strict orders have been given not to sell to speculators.
§ Mr. THORNEfurther asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has noted the arrivals of refrigerated meat in the Port of London, and the fact that for some time previous to the 13th May all the meat stores of London had been filled to overflowing, and that the vessels bringing the meat have had to be treated as warehouses; has he noted that from that date to the present frozen beef, mutton, and lamb have rapidly risen in price to unprecedented figures; whether he will state the number of beef quarters and mutton and lamb carcasses, approximately, in the London refrigerators on 1st January, 1st March, 10th May, and 10th June; will he state why the Government are asking more for their meat than private individuals; and whether a reduction of 1d. per pound on their mutton and lamb would still leave a profit on all their outlay?
Mr. RUNCIMANCold storage accommodation has been found for all meat coming into the Port of London, and no vessels have had to be treated as warehouses. I am aware that the price of meat has recently risen, but the effect of the sale of Government mutton and lamb has been to moderate the rise, and I hope that when larger quantities become available the market price will fall. As a large part of the meat in cold stores is held for Army purposes, it would not be in the public interest to give any figures as to stocks which might enable calculations to be made of the amount of our reserve stock for military use. With regard to the concluding part of the question, I have again to point out that the Government neither ask nor fix a price; the meat is sold on commission according to ordinary market practice, and the price of the day is determined by the prevailing market conditions. As I stated in my reply on 10th June to the hon. Member for the St. Patrick's Division of Dublin, I am not yet in a position to state what the actual profit, if any, accruing from the sale of meat will be, but whatever its amount it will be paid into His Majesty's Exchequer.