§ Mr. Hurdasked the Minister of Food what were the average prices paid during the past six months or other convenient
AVERAGE PRICES PAID DURING SIX MONTHS ENDED 31ST MARCH, 1950 Commodity Home-produced supplies Imported supplies Remarks Beef £145 per ton ex slaughterhouse. Frozen fore and hindquarters— £100.90 per ton c.i.f. Boned and boneless— £100.30 per ton c.i.f. Lamb and Mutton £226 per ton ex slaughterhouse. £107.50 per ton c.i.f. Bacon £289 per ton ex factory £235.30 per ton c.i.f. Shell Eggs £7.417 per box of 360 ex packing station. £4.07 per box of 360 c.i.f. Cheese £103 per ton ex factory (excluding milk subsidy). £175.38 per ton c.i.f. (including private imports) The price of milk sold for home cheese-making is below its cost to the Ministry. The difference over a full year is equivalent to £242.2 per ton of cheese. Part of this difference (estimated at £77.5 per ton) may be regarded as a subsidy on cheese, the balance falling into the subsidy on liquid milk. Wheat £23.62 per ton ex farm £28.20 per ton c.i.f. Home-grown wheat is not normally bought by the Ministry. Price excludes acreage payment estimated to cost £1.075 per ton. There will be no wheat acreage payment in 1950–51 but farmers will receive £28 per ton. Barley £23.72 per ton ex farm £20.23 per ton c.i.f. Oats £19.48 per ton ex farm £17.56 per ton c.i.f. Linseed £59 per ton ex farm £54.22 per ton c.i.f. Sugar £33.86 per ton ex factory £32.83 per ton c.i.f. The price of home-produced raw sugar is fixed by reference to the average cost of imports for a full year (less Empire preference, plus the difference between the Excise duty on home-produced and the Customs duty on imported sugar). NOTE: —The prices for imported supplies are based on the figures published in the Trade and Navigation Accounts for the period October, 1949–March, 1950.