Mr. G. Wilsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give the average price to the growers of the principal horticultural crops in Cornwall in the years 1945, 1951, and 1957, and the minimum wages of the horticultural workers in the same years.
§ Mr. John HareI regret that my Department has no separate records of the average prices to the growers of the principal horticultural crops in Cornwall during the years 1945, 1951 and 1957.
Average wholesale prices of fruit and vegetables are collected by the Department's market reporters in the main urban markets in England and Wales, but the only Cornish product for which separate average prices are available for these years is winter cauliflower, a very important crop in that county. The average wholesale prices of Cornish winter cauliflowers were as follows:
41W
— 1st Quality 2nd Quality per dozen per dozen s. d. s. d. 1945 5 10 4 2 1951 9 7 7 6 1957 11 2 8 8 The minimum weekly wage rates for agricultural workers, including horticultural workers, as fixed by the Agricultural
1945: Male (21 years of age and over) Female (18 years of age and over) Period 1st January to 3rd March. 65s. 0d. per 50 hour week. 48s. 0d. per week of 50 hours in summer and 48 hours in winter. Period 4th March to 31st December. 70s. 0d. per 50 hour week. 48s. 0d. per week of 50 hours in summer and 48 hours in winter. 1951: Male (21 years of age and over) Female (21 years of age and over) Period 1st January to 21st October. 100s. 0d. per week of 47 hours. 76s. 0d. per week of 47 hours. Period 22nd October to 31st December. 108s. 0d. per week of 47 hours. 82s. 0d. per week of 47 hours. 1957: Male (20 years of age and over) Female (21 years of age and over) Period 1st January to 27th October. 141s. 0d. per week of 47 hours. 107s. 0d. per week of 47 hours. Period 28th October to 31st December. 150s. 0d. per week of 47 hours. 114s. 0d. per week of 47 hours. NOTES: (a) The standard working week was reduced to 48 hours in 1946 and to 47 hours in 1949. (b) Males aged 20 were granted the adult wage in 1955. (c) In 1945 the top (minimum) rate for females was reached at age 18.