Major Lloydasked the Minister of Food what is the cost price to his Department of the dripping for fish friers which is being sold at£133 6s. 8d. per ton; what are the sources of supply; and what is the difference per ton in the cost price of this dripping and the average cost price per ton of meat.
§ Mr. WebbMy Department does not buy or sell dripping, but controls its distribution and price. It is supplied to fish friers and other authorised users by private firms, who produce it partly from imported tallow but mainly from fat obtained from our slaughter-houses. The cost of this fat to my Department cannot be isolated from that of the live animals which we buy, and I cannot, therefore, state the difference between the cost per ton of dripping and the average cost per ton of meat.