asked the Minister of Food the average annual cost of production of non-welfare milk per pint; and the average sale price.

The average cost of milk as delivered to the consumer is about 7½d. a pint. The retail price for ordinary and pasteurised milk during 1954–55 will average about 6¾d. per pint.

What social justice is there for selling milk which is non-welfare milk at ¾d. a pint less than the cost of production to a nation prepared to pay hundreds of millions of pounds for beer at three times its cost of production—and to pay for it gladly.

I can only say that the different fluids are consumed by different people of different ages for different purposes.