§ Sir A. LAMBERT WARDasked the President of the Board of Trade if he can ascertain from the wholesale manufacturers and state the reason of the small percentage reduction in the retail price of cocoa compared with the fall in the wholesale price of raw Accra cocoa between July, 1930, and April, 1931?
§ Mr. W. R. SMITHI will look into the matter; but I would point out that the figures my right hon. Friend gave in 1613W reply to the hon. and gallant Member's previous question showed a reduction of 3d. per lb. in the price of proprietary cocoas as compared with a reduction of less than 1¾d. per lb. in the price of the raw material. It is evident that the prices of the raw material and the finished article could not be expected to Vary by the same percentage.