Sir A. Evansasked the Minister of Food what would have been the price
(1) (2) (3) — Free world price per cwt. f.o.b. Price shown Col. 1 plus U.K. basic and Certificated Pref. Received by British Caribbean Producers. (a) 1940 — 8/- falling to 4/7 11/2½ 11/6 to 12/10½ (b) 1941 — 4/9 rising to 10/10½ 10/11½ 12/10½ (c) 1942 The Price paid by the U.S.A. to Cuba was 14/9; Calculated by deducting U.S.A. Preference on Cuban sugar this gives an assessed free price of Lend/Lease 9/3 14/- 14/- (d) 1943 Ditto Lend/Lease 9/3 14/- 14/6 (e) 1944 No free world price. U.K. Cuban supplies were partly Lend/Lease. Thereafter Cuban sugars were allocated to U.K. at U.S.A. purchase price of 2.65* equal to 14/9 20/- 16/- (f) Note*. —It should be noted that this price included U.S.A. Preference on the quantity shipped to the U.S. If the pre-war average relationship of the total price received by Cuba and the British Caribbean price (as given in my reply to my hon. and gallant Friend on February 8th) is taken for the calculation, the figures are Cuban price.14/9 British equivalent Caribbean 17/1½ Received by British Caribbean Producers. 16/-
Column 2 Column 3. The above figures give the following averages: For the lines (a) to (e) 14/- 13/11 For the lines (a) to (d) and (f) 13/5½ 13/11