§ 94. Mr. Nallyasked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the growing difficulty experienced by Food Enforcement Committees in persuading retailers to give necessary evidence against wholesalers who impose conditions of sale; that many of such retailers refuse to give such evidence on the ground that supplies would be withheld from them in the wholesale markets as a reprisal; and what steps he proposes to take to remove such fears and guarantee protection to those retailers cooperating with the authorities to end illegalities in food sale and distribution.
§ Mr. StracheyAs a result of complaints of this nature from the Retail Fruit Trade Federation Limited, my Depart-merit, with the cooperation of retail and wholesale traders, has during the past six months carried out, in 13 important cities throughout the United Kingdom, investigations into complaints that the Orders concerning fresh fruit and vegetables were 87W being broken by wholesalers in various ways. The inquiries have established that breaches of the Orders were not nearly so widespread as they were thought to be and no prosecutions were undertaken. If a wholesaler should be convicted of imposing a condition of sale, or were to close the account of a retailer who gave evidence against him, I should consider the revocation of the wholesaler's licence.