§ Mr. CAUTLEYasked the Food Controller whether he is aware that the mills at our ports are congested with millers' offals; why he still maintains the exorbitant controlled prices for such offals; and whether it is possible to reduce the price to £10 10s. per ton and thereby relieve the congestion at the ports and at the same time encourage the production of homegrown meat and milk, instead of allowing such offals to be exported to Foreign, countries?
Mr. ROBERTSThe Food Controller is aware there is some congestion of offals at the port mills, but as a result of the reduction in price of £2 per ton, which took effect on 24th March last, this congestion is now disappearing. In view of the present prices for live stock a further reduction is not considered to be necessary, particularly as such a reduction would involve an increase in the cost of the bread subsidy.
Lieutenant-Colonel HERBERTasked the Food Controller whether he is aware that the London flour mills are so congested with millers' offals that it is proposed to allow offals to be exported to the Continent; whether every effort is being made to have the offals absorbed by home demand; and whether the London prices of £14 per ton for fine offals and £13 per ton for coarse offals are considerably higher than pre-war prices?
Mr. ROBERTSAs regards the first part of the question, it is possible that a small quantity of offals, amounting to about one-quarter of one week's output will be exported from this country. All possible steps are being taken with a view to the whole output of offals being absorbed by home demand, and, to this end, the prices have been reduced as from 24th March last to £12 per ton for fine offals, and £11 per ton for coarse offal. These prices are materially higher than 891W pre-war prices, but are lower in proportion to the price of wheat than was the case before the War.