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Food Supplies

Volume 439: debated on Wednesday 25 June 1947

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Rural Building Workers (Rations)

47.

asked the Minister of Food if he will make a statement on the provision of extra rations, mobile canteen facilities or packed meals for building-trade workers in rural districts.

Last December I asked local food officers to do everything in their power to help building employers, in both rural and urban areas, to provide packed meals or canteens for their workers. This campaign has had considerable success, but, because of the practical difficulties, town and suburban workers have benefited most. I have decided, therefore, that from 20th July, when the new ration book comes into use, rural building workers who cannot be given canteens or packed meals shall be eligible for the special cheese ration and for the extra bread which goes with it.

Sugar Allocation

49.

asked the Minister of Food whether in view of the indications of an improved sugar position, he will consider making allocations of sugar to office workers for tea making.

Is it not a fact that the stock position is good and that the international allocation is about to be increased; why should there be this discrimination between industrial workers and office workers? Is it because the latter are unorganised and are of the "tinker's cuss" variety?

I am glad to say that office workers are by no means completely unorganised.

Pig-Killing (Conditional Licence)

52.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that a food executive officer, in a letter to the proprietor of the Station Hotel, Basingstoke, states that he is not permitted to issue a licence to him to kill a pig unless a written undertaking is given that no part of it shall be used in connection with his catering establishment; under what authority the demand for such a written undertaking from the proprietor, as a condition precedent to the granting of such a licence, was made; and whether he will take the necessary steps to abolish this restriction.

Licences to slaughter a pig under the self-suppliers scheme are issued on my authority. For the past seven years it has been one of the requirements that a caterer must give an undertaking not to use any of the meat in any form for the purposes of his establishment. The restriction is made quite clear on the application form.

If the proprietor of a catering establishment could feed his customers in this way, is it not grotesque to prevent it?

No, Sir. I think the dividing line must be drawn between the self-suppliers who do not produce for sale and those who are producing for sale or commerce in any form.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman not to consider giving way on this point, because if he does, Lyons Bros, would be able to supply themselves with pork from their farms and really they would have good fun out of it?

If the Minister could not allow it in that case, certainly he could allow country hotels to become self-supporting so far as bacon is concerned?

No, Sir. An equal quantity of feeding stuffs would be subtracted from commercial producers.

Agricultural Workers

54.

asked the Minister of Food to whom, in connection with the issue of extra rations of cheese and bread, the description of workers not insured under the Agricultural Unemployment Insurance Scheme but engaged full time under contracts for work in agriculture refers.

These workers include groups of men employed under contract on such tasks as ditching, draining and reconditioning agricultural land; and also hedgers, thatchers and rabbit trappers working under contract.

Would it be possible for the Minister, by the exercise of a little sympathetic imagination, to include farmers' sons in this category provided they were working under contract for their fathers?

Sub-Office, St Pancras

55.

asked the Minister of Food why he was unable to arrange for the opening of a sub-office, as on previous occasions, for the distribution of the new ration books to people living at the southern end of South-East St. Pancras, who now have to go to Camden Town and wait in long queues.

The food executive officer decided that too few people used this sub-office last year to justify the extra staff needed there. She tells us that its absence has not led to long queues at the Camden Town centre or elsewhere in the Borough.

Dutch Tomatoes (Fob Price)

58.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that there is no upper limit to the f.o.b. price which can be remitted to shippers of Dutch tomatoes; that many wholesalers are paying to foreign producers prices considerably in excess of the permitted import price; and if he will institute a maximum f.o.b. price related to the import price or vary the present conditions governing the importation and distribution of tomatoes, so that they do not operate inequitably among different sections of traders and result in the expenditure of larger amounts of sterling.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this matter. It was always the intention that the price paid to the exporter for tomatoes should not exceed the appropriate import sale price prescribed in the Tomatoes Order. We have received reports that the relative provisions of the Control Orders are being circumvented and I therefore propose to make an Order which will have the effect my hon. Friend desires.

Cabbages (Prices)

59.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that cabbage of the same quality, on a London wholesale market, varied in price per half bag of30 lbs. from 7s. 3d. per lb. on 12th June, 13s. 5d. per lb. on 13th June and 16s. 6d. per lb. on 14th June; that housewives were compelled to pay is. 6d. for a cabbage of inferior quality weighing two lbs.; if, in view of the considerable increase in supplies, he is satisfied that these prices are not unduly high; and whether he will take steps to reinstitute maximum prices and control price fluctuation.

Although supplies of all vegetables have improved and will I am glad to say, improve further, they are still much below normal for this time of year. I shall however take very careful account of the position when this year's main crops become available, and if prices still remain at an unreasonable level in relation to this year's costs I shall have to reimpose price control.

Will my right hon. Friend pay particular attention to the question of cabbages and other greenstuffs and keep the closest possible watch on the matter, because urgent action is necessary owing to the fluctuation in supplies?