40
largest contributions to the increase in food prices as a whole over the last year. The Service provides daily
information on both supplies and wholesale prices and forms a basis on which it is possible to assess the adequacy of supplies and the extent to which individual retailers are, in their pricing policies, operating at variance with more general market conditions.
114.
However, this Service has not been as well received
as I had hoped. Its purpose appears to have been misunderstood: it was never intended, for example, that it should put out recommended retail prices. Equally the media have, at best, simply published the information as it stands without attempting to analyse it or provide guiding commentaries. It could be argued, of course, that the Government itself should provide some kind of analysis and commentary and I have been looking into this and other ways of making the Service more helpful.
115.
But I have come to the conclusion that something rather more than this is required. Although I do not think that "profiteering" is as widespread as some would imagine, and although I do not believe for one moment that even its total elimination would make any very great difference to the rate at which prices are rising, the fact that it exists at all is a cause for considerable anger and frustration. As I have said, people tend to be more aware of "profiteering" in a situation of rapid rising prices. Perhaps this is because, in a rather emotional way, they simply identify rapidly rising prices with "profiteering".
Be that as
it may, the very fact that prices are, unfortunately, continu- ing to rise rapidly has aroused public feelings on "profiteering" which need to be channelled constructively.
(iv) Proposed Consumer Council
116.
Given that the public feels so strongly on this matter, it is likely that there would be considerable support for some private initiative. In other places, where support is forthcoming, consumer councils, consumer advisory councils, consumer protection councils call them what you will -
/tend.....
5