Mr. McKieasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state in tabular form the cost of the various commodities subsidised by His Majesty's Government and at the same time quote the profits on other commodities, cost and sale price, such as timber, cocoa, palm oil and other controlled commodities.
§ Mr. DaltonThe following table shows the cost of subsidies in 1945–46 estimated 395W on the basis of the conditions before Lend-Lease came to an end:—
£ million Bread, Flour and Oatmeal 58.8 Meat 27.5 Potatoes 22.8 Eggs and Egg Products 18.5 Sugar 19.1 Milk 23.0 Cheese 4.6 Bacon 3.2 Tea 3.5 Butter 7.8 Net loss on other foodstuffs 3.4(1) National Milk and Milk-in-Schools Scheme 20.0 Animal Feeding-stuffs 18.5 Fertilisers 7.5 Contribution to cost of New Zealand Government's stabilisation policy in respect of food production 4.0 Total subsidy of food production and distribution 242.2 Utility Clothing 4.0 Coal Transport 2.0 Estimated loss of Ministry of Supply on raw materials entering into domestic civilian consumption (calendar year 1945) 4.1(2) Total 252.3 NOTES.—(1) This figure is the balance of the profits and losses on the residual items other than those shown separately in the table. On cocoa there is an estimated profit of £500,000 and on palm oil of £1,700,000, the latter being an offset to gross losses of £2,200,000 on other oils and fats. (2)This figure represents the subsidy on the proportion of raw materials estimated to enter into civilian consumption at home. The biggest items are £3,100,000 on wool and £445,000 on timber.
In view of the very large number of commodities and the many different grades and types of which they are composed, it is not posible to show the cost and sale prices separately.