Mr. BRIANTasked the Minister of Food if British manufacturers are still compelled to purchase sugar at a control price, although their supply can be obtained in the, world's markets at a much lower price?
Mr. McCURDYThere is no restriction either on supplies or prices of British colonial sugar for manufactures. As regards other sugars of suitable quality, it is quite untrue to suggest that adequate supplies can be obtained at a lower price than that at which the purchases of the Sugar Commission are made available to manufacturers. As a matter of fact, as has been repeatedly stated, the Commission's selling price is regularly adjusted to conform to the world price ruling at the time.
Mr. JESSONasked the Minister of Food whether it is desirable that growers of sugar should be represented on the sugar Commission; whether a statement has been made by his Department to the effect that the work of the Sugar Commission would very shortly decrease in volume and importance; and, if so, whether this implies the early winding-up of the Commission?
Mr. McCURDYThe reply to the first part of the question is, in my opinion, in the negative. As regards the remaining parts of the question, I am not yet in a position to make a definite statement on the matter.