§ Sir A. Knoxasked the Minister of Labour how he arrived at the figure in the Ministry of Labour Gazette of 2S. 2d. per pound as the average price for tea paid by wage-earners on the 1st November, since on that date packet tea was available from a considerable number of distributors at is. 10d. per pound, with loose tea at a lower figure?
§ Mr. E. BrownThe average retail price of tea, as published in the Ministry of Labour Gazette, is calculated from returns collected from a large number of representative retailers, including multiple-shop proprietors, co-operative societies, and other shopkeepers engaged in the working-class trade, distributed over all the larger towns and a wide selection of the smaller towns throughout the United Kingdom. The prices quoted in the returns relate to the qualities of tea generally bought by working-class purchasers; these are not necessarily the lowest prices at which tea can be obtained.