§ Mr. Prittasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that, on a comparison of 1939 with 1942, the price of bread in Cyprus has risen by 125 per cent., beans by 500 per cent., meat by over 300 per cent., olives by over 240 per cent., cheese by 450 per cent., and of a suit of clothes by 750 per cent., and that the wages of labour not in Government employment have in the same period increased by only 60 per cent. for unskilled labour and 72 per cent. for skilled labour; and whether he will take further and more drastic steps to eliminate the hardships caused by these disparities?
§ Colonel StanleyThe actual percentages in March, 1943, are:
51W
Per Cent. Bread … … 100 –125 French beans … … 114 Beef … … 126 Mutton … … 71 Olives … … 172 Cheese … … 119 Imported suits are practically unobtainable. The price of cloth generally, excluding suits, is 365 per cent. above the pre-war level. Supplies are extremely limited and the Government is collecting all stocks with a view to introducing a complete rationing scheme. I have no comparative figures confined to wages for labour not employed by the Government. For labour generally the figures are: In 1939, unskilled one shilling and eight piastres a day; skilled two shillings and eight piastres a day; for a 56-hour week. To-day, unskilled four shillings a day; skilled about six shillings a day; for a 48-hour week. But wages for skilled labour vary widely in different trades. Disregarding the reduction in the working week the percentage increases on the basis of these figures are for unskilled labour 112 per cent., for skilled labour 108 per cent.
Vigorous steps are being taken by the Cyprus Government to reduce and stabilise the cost of living. The measures adopted include additional subsidies to an aggregate amount of nearly £200,000.