§ Mr. STANTONasked the Food Controller if he is aware that there is unrest caused in the Aberdare valleys, South Wales, by the shortage, quality, and prices of meat; and will he take steps to bring about an improvement in these matters?
§ Mr. G. ROBERTSI have not been informed of the existence of the unrest to which the hon. Member refers. On the contrary, the reports received by the Ministry of the conditions in regard to meat supplies in South Wales have been completely satisfactory. If the hon. Member will supply me with further information on the matter, I will have inquiries made.
§ Sir N. MOOREasked the Food Controller whether he has received any protests from the Dominion Governments objecting to the price at which their meat is sold here, namely, 1s. 1d. per lb., for the reason that the meat is sold to the Imperial Government at about 6d. per lb., the total cost not exceeding 10d. per lb., the extra 3d. being added by the Ministry of Food when selling to the wholesalers; whether the Ministry has added this extra 3d. to the price in order to average the price paid by the Government for American meat; if so, was this done because the American meat was badly bought and cost more than twice as much f.o.b. as the Australian and New Zealand 1779W meat; has the Ministry of Food sold Argentine meat to Belgium at a profit of 3d. or 4d. per lb., while forcing on the British consumer inferior meat from China and elsewhere; and is it the policy of the Food Controller to export meat from the United Kingdom for the supply of the Belgium public, even if such business can be carried on at a profit?
§ Mr. ROBERTSIn the latter part of 1918 inquiries were received from the Dominion Governments on the point in question.
As has already been explained on various occasions, it was necessary under the rationing system for meat to be sold at a flat price, and the cost of all meat purchased by the Ministry of Food was therefore averaged. Not more than 10 per cent. of the imported meat consumed in this country in 1918 consisted of meat from. Australasia, and it was necessary, owing to the serious shortage of tonnage prevailing at that time, for the great part of the balance to be imported from North America, where the average level of price was considerably higher than that ruling in the Dominions. I may say, however, that the greater part of the meat imported from Australasia consists of mutton and lamb, which is disposed of for civilian consumption at 11½d. and not at 1s. 1d. per lb.
As regards the latter part of the question, a certain quantity of meat has been sold to the Belgian Government, not at a profit but at the figure which the Ministry of Food was paying for supplies. These shipments, which were not entirely made up of Argentine meat, were exported solely to meet the exigencies of the food situation in Belgium.