§ Mr. WATTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the shortage of sugar in the hands of grocers in the West of Scotland and the impossibility of getting their stocks replaced; will he say whether this is due to the action of his Department; and, if so, what is the object to be attained by this method of keeping the public short of supplies in view of the stocks of sugar held by the refiners in Greenock?
§ Mr. McKENNAThere is nothing to show that the shortage of sugar in the West of Scotland is any greater than in other parts of the United Kingdom. I would add that the unsold stocks of sugar in the hands of refiners in Greenock, on 5th August, were equivalent to about half a day's output.