§ 22. Colonel Crosthwaite-Eyreasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state, taking 1938 and 1950, respectively, as the base years, the annual indices for wages, prices and gross dividends to the latest convenient date.
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§ Mr. MaudlingThe latest annual indices available relate to 1953. The following are the figures:
— 1938 as 100 1950 as 100 Total wage bill 301 126 Consumer prices 227 117 Total dividends and interest paid by companies and public corporations* 143 130 * Comparable figures on which to base an index for dividends are not available because of changes in the company sector due to nationalisation.