asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the retail prices in Dublin at mid-February, 1941, of the undermentioned commodities, i.e., household flour, bakers' bread, coal, tea, granulated sugar, milk, eggs, potatoes, creamery butter, streaky bacon, sirloin of beef, leg of mutton.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Retail Prices.
Prices of certain commodities at all places in Éire in which an employment exchange or branch employment office is situated are ascertained in connection with the quarterly compilation of the cost-of-living figure, for which purpose it is necessary only that the national average prices should correctly indicate the trend of retail prices in the country as a whole. The returns received for Dublin are few in number, so that the average or predominant prices as derived from these returns cannot be regarded as much better than approximations. There is always the danger that these prices may be used to indicate changes in the actual prices of particular commodities between one date and another for a certain area. Such use of the following prices cannot be justified, for not only are the returns too few, but it is not always possible to obtain prices from exactly the same sources at each inquiry, while at the present time there is the further difficulty of obtaining quotations for identical qualities of goods.
The average prices as calculated and stated with the above-mentioned reservations are as follows:—Household flour, 3/2 per stone of 14 lbs.; bakers' bread, 6d. per 2 lb. loaf; coal, 4/- per cwt.; tea (as used by wage-earning classes), 2/9 per lb.; granulated sugar, 4½d. per lb.; milk, 7½d. per quart; eggs, 2/4 to 3/- per dozen; potatoes, 1/4 per stone of 14 lbs.; creamery butter, 1/7 per lb.; streaky bacon, 2/3 per lb.; sirloin of beef, 1/7 per lb.; leg of mutton, 1/5 per lb.
Streaky bacon at 2/3?
Would the Minister inform the House, if it is not giving away any secret, where tea can be got at 2/9 per lb. and will he ask Deputy O'Reilly who sits behind him to send up a few lorry loads of the eggs which can be obtained in County Meath at 1/3?
I did not say 1/3 for eggs.
The Deputy on a previous occasion said eggs could be got for 1/3.
Who is charging 2/3 for streaky bacon?
Did I understand the Minister to say the price of bread was 6d. per 2-lb. loaf?
These are the prices furnished to us.
That is a breach of the law.
The official price of bread is fixed by the Minister at 5½d. in the shop and 6d. delivered. I presume the 6d. relates to the delivered price.
The delivered price.
Will the Minister tell me who is charging 2/3 for streaky bacon?
I would require notice of that question.
Will the Minister bring it to the attention of the Prices Controller? Whoever is doing it is a highway robber.