§ Sir A. CHURCHMANasked the President of the Board of Trade (1), whether he has evidence that London prices for milk are adopted in towns where lower prices would be economically sound; whether he will urge the National Farmers' Union and the National Federation of Dairymen's Association to adopt a system of regional prices in their future agreements;
(2) whether his attention has been called to the observations of the Depart- 2537W mental Committee on the distribution and prices of agricultural produce to the effect on the price of milk of the excessive number of small milk shops and of the excessive overlapping of delivery rounds; and whether he will conduct inquiries into the system of milk distribution prevailing in the chief foreign cities, with a view to encouraging the adoption of more economic methods in this country?
§ Viscount WOLMERI am aware of the various questions to which attention is2538W called in the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Milk and Milk Products. A conference has recently been held at the Board of Trade at which the Scottish Office and the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Labour were also represented, and which was attended by representatives of producers and distributors throughout Great Britain. The recommendations of the Inter-Departmental Committee were fully discussed, but I am not in a position to say what the ultimate results will be.