§ Mr. GILBERTasked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that the margarine factories who own their own retail shops are selling margarine retail at a cheaper price than they are supplying the same wholesale to other small shopkeepers and whether he can take any action by which these small shopkeepers; can obtain a living profit on this necessary article of the people's food?
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Mr. ROBERTSThe arrangement with manufacturers is that they shall supply margarine to traders at such wholesale prices as will enable it to be sold retail at 1s 2d. a lb. The retail sale by these manufacturers at a lower rate is made possible by the economies incident to a big business and affords a direct benefit to the consumer, which I am not concerned to disturb.