§ Captain BAGLEYasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade to what extent, if any, the index number of prices was affected by the de-control of barley?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANThe precise effect of the de-control of barley cannot be computed, but it may be stated that had the price of British barley remained at about the July, 1919, level the general index number of wholesale prices for February, 1920, would have worked out at 364.7 instead of 368.3. For the cereals group the number would have been 323.1 instead of 337.1.