§ Mr. R. Morganasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why, instead of continuing the special preference to the sugar-producing Colonies on the same allocation as before between them, he has not accepted the recommendations of the West India Royal Commission in favour of a more equitable basis of distribution?
Mr. M. MacDonaldAs I explained in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend on 1st May, His Majesty's Government have reached the conclusion that the recommendations of the Commission on the system of certificated preference are not suitable for adoption during the war. Equally they would not regard it as practicable to select certain of those recommendations as regards sugar, for immediate adoption without the rest. Under the conditions for Government purchase of Colonial sugar now operating the producers in the individual West Indian Colonies are getting higher aggregate returns than they would have done had the Royal Commission's recommendations been applied to the prices prevailing before the war.