asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state what reason induced him to order registered maize meal millers to restrict the sale of pure maize meal to 1 lb. packets instead of the quarter stone packets hitherto permitted.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sale of Pure Maize Meal.
The sale of pure maize meal in quarter stone packages was intended to meet the case of persons who desired to use such meal for human consumption. I became satisfied, however, that many maize millers were recently availing themselves of this provision to dispose of increasingly large quantities of pure maize meal for stock feeding. The substitution of 1 lb. packages for the quarter stone packages was adopted with a view to putting an end to this abuse of the Agricultural Produce (Cereals) Act, 1933.
Would it be correct to say that maize meal millers found that they could sell pure maize meal cheaper after putting it in 1/4 stone packets than they could sell the maize meal mixture in 1 cwt. or 2 cwt. bags, and therefore the Minister, in order to prevent the purchase by consumers of maize meal at a lower price in 1/4 stone packets than the maize meal mixture in 1 cwt. bags, had to reduce the packet to a 1 lb. packet in order to increase the price of pure maize meal and thus prevent the competition going on between the pure maize meal and the maize meal mixture?
Dr. Ryan
The Deputy has put a very general question which is true only to a certain extent. If you take the 1/2 cwt. packets, it might be true, but it would not be true of the larger quantities.
Would the House be correct in drawing the inference that the Minister has forced up the price of the maize meal mixture so high that you could buy pure maize meal in individual 1/4 stone packets cheaper than you could buy the maize meal mixture in bulk?
Dr. Ryan
To a certain extent.
Is the Minister satisfied that the mixture that is sold at this price is being sold at an economic price, having regard to the price of beef, mutton and pork?
Dr. Ryan
Yes, that is all right.
That is a queer one for the Minister.