§ 80. Mr. Harrisonasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will initiate discussions with the tobacco trade, to arrange for suitable action to be taken to prevent the splitting of packets of cigarettes and then selling them, in excess of the standard prices; arid include in such discussions the suggestion that cigarettes shall be packed, in smaller numbers and so avoid the necessity for splitting packets, particularly the cheaper varieties.
§ Mr. H. WilsonI assume that what my hon. Friend has in mind is the practice of selling five cigarettes for 8d. instead of the advertised price of 7¾d. I have no evidence that this practice extends beyond a very few retailers, and I do not think that at present the steps necessary to prevent it would justify the time and labour involved. If it becomes more widespread I will bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind. As regards the second part of the Question, packing cigarettes in smaller numbers is very expensive in material, and its adoption is in any case limited by the machinery available.