Brigadier-General Brownasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware of the serious decline in the number of small producer-retailers caused by the new milk distribution arrangements, the consequent infrequency of the deliveries and sourness of milk delivered in many country districts; and whether he will take steps to see that the large combines who have bought up these small milk rounds in rural areas give the same daily deliveries of sweet milk to their customers in scattered country districts that formerly existed there?
§ Mr. MabaneI am not aware that the decline in the number of producer-retailers, which has been apparent for some time, has been accelerated by the present arrangements for distributing milk. My Department has no record of complaints from consumers of the character suggested by my hon. Friend as a result of deliveries being taken over by other distributors from producer-retailers. If my hon. Friend knows of any such cases and will send me particulars, I will have them examined.
§ Mr. Boothbyasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food (1) why a special self-wholesaling allowance is 1170W granted by his Department to the larger dairy companies and co-operative societies;
(2) whether his attention has been called to the criticisms made by the chairman of the Milk Marketing Board of the policy of his Department; and whether he is satisfied that the present price structure for milk does not unnecessarily increase the number of middlemen and the cost of distribution and discriminate unfairly as between the producer-retailers and the big wholesale distributors?
§ Mr. MabaneI would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to-day to the hon. and gallant Member for Newbury (Brigadier-General Brown) and the hon. Member for North Battersea (Mr. Douglas).