§ Sir W. Bromley-Davenportasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what was the retail price of milk in the immediate pre-war period; and what this price would be today if converted into present-day money value;
(2) what was the wholesale producer's price of milk in the immediate pre-war period; and what this price would be today if converted into present-day money value.
§ Mr. Scott-HopkinsThe retail price of milk in 1939, and the net price received by milk producers in the United Kingdom in 1938–39, averaged about 3⅜d. a pint and 1s. a gallon, respectively. According to the index normally used to measure changes in the value of money, these sums are now equivalent to about 10½d. and 3s. 1d., respectively. However, any calculation of this sort over such a long period is subject to a wide margin of error, and is also open to misleading conclusions. For example, almost twice as much milk is being sold today compared with pre-war; it is also produced more efficiently, and the relative costs of distribution have been reduced.