§ Mr. HOHLERasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether the Government, directly or in- 930W directly, controls the supply and the price of sulphate of ammonia, basic slag, and superphospnate; will he state the average price per ton paid for each of these fertilisers by the Government from the 1st April to the 30th September last, the average price at which they were sold during the like period to the merchant or factor, and the price the merchant or factor was authorised to charge the consumer; did the Government make any and what profit during the above period by dealing in the above fertilisers; and will he give the average profit per ton?
Mr. HOPEThe Ministry of Munitions does not control the supply of the fertilisers referred to; the prices at which they could be sold up to 31st May last were fixed by the Fertilisers Prices Order, 1918, to which I would refer my hon. and learned Friend. The Ministry has never had any trading transactions in super-phosphates or basic slag; but at the date of the Armistice it had small stocks of sulphate of ammonia, which have since been sold.