§ Mr. Macleanasked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that imported articles of food, etc., have their retail prices fixed to conform to London, but those fixed prices have to be charged in all other parts of the country; that freight charges from London to many of those provincial areas are so high as to make it impossible to make a profit; and whether, as those prices are controlled by the Government, freight charges will be pooled, so that provincial dealers will not be at a disadvantage as compared with London dealers, and consumers in the provinces will be able to obtain the same class of goods as consumers in London?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonI cannot agree that retail prices of imported articles of food are normally fixed by reference to London prices only. No such practice has been followed by my Department, which, in fixing the price of foodstuffs, takes into consideration all relevant factors, including the cost of transport. If the hon. Member will send me particulars of any special cases which he has in mind, I shall be glad to look into them.