§ 33 and 34. Mr. TICKLERasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food (1) if he is aware that an Order has been issued to fruit preservers grant- 1863 ing each firm a licence to purchase only, approximately, one-tenth of their normal requirements of gooseberries; why the civil population is to be allotted only one-tenth of the fruit supply while the Army is allowed the remaining nine-tenths; (2) if he is aware that, owing to the action of the Food Controller in restricting the supplies of fruit to the fruit preservers, many factories will have to be closed, while, at the same time, the firms who are manufacturing jam for the troops are establishing pulping factories in all the fruit-growing districts of the country; and will he state why the established firms cannot be allowed to pulp the fruit and afterwards be only allowed to make the same into jam by licence of the Food Controller?
§ Mr. PARKERThe object of the Gooseberries (Sales) Order is to secure that practically the whole of this season's gooseberry crop, which is estimated by the Board of Agriculture to be far below the average, shall be converted into jam. It is necessary to limit for the present the quantities which may be purchased by individual jam manufacturers, in order to ensure that the minimum requirements of the Army for jam shall be met, but the proportion of fruit reserved for the Army is not nearly so large as that indicated by the hon. Member. If and when it appears that additional supplies of fruit are available, the licences to jam manufacturers for civilian purposes will be extended. The statement that the Army contractors are establishing pulping factories in all the fruit-growing districts in the country is not in accordance with my information, and I am not clear that any useful end would be served by adopting the hon. Member's suggestion in regard to the pulping of fruit.
§ Mr. TICKLERIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the Army requirements are stated to be 4,000 tons, and that the very lowest estimate of the crop is 20,000 tons?
§ Mr. PARKERI was not aware of those figures, but I will communicate what my hon. Friend represents to my right hon. Friend.