§ Mr. RATCLIFFEasked the Food Controller how he arrives at the conclusion that the commission allowed by his Department to retailers of meat is more than 11½ per cent. on the cost of the meat; for instance, one hundred stones of beef, eight lbs. per stone, are charged £150 by his Department, and' the scheduled profit they allow is 1s. 2d. per stone, or £5 13s. 4d. total for selling one hundred stones of beef; one hundred stones of mutton, including rams and old ewes, is charged £55 to the retailer, on which he is again only allowed the same 1s. 2d. per stone, amounting to the sum of £3 13s. 4d., so that, on a total turnover of 200 stones of beef and mutton, costing,£105, his profit is only £11 6s. sd., awl possible profits are also reduced by the fact that the bone-boilers have a ring and marrow-bones have recently been as low as s. per fourteen-pound stone and now are only 1s. 6d., still further reducing his margin of profit?
§ Mr. McCURDYThe calculation made by the hon. Member is based on a misapprehension. As has already been stated, under the present system of meat control no fixed percentage of profit is guaranteed to the retailer, and it is, therefore, incorrect to assume that the scheduled profit on meat is 1s. 2d. per stone. Tests which have recently been made show, for example, that a side of beef purchased at 1s. 3d. per lb. will yield, if sold at the maximum ref a it prices. a gross profit. of 17 per cent. On the cost of the meat.