§ 53. Mr. Tomlinsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can arrange for the minting and distribution of a sufficient number of farthings for those districts where this coinage is not in common use, to avoid the overcharging of small quantities of goods where the price-fixing orders of the Government necessitate the use of this coin?
§ Captain CrookshankThe issue of additional bronze coin is regulated on the basis of requisitions by the banks, who alone can gauge the net requirements of their customers. All demands for farthings received up to date by the Mint from the banks have been met. The quantity of farthings in circulation is of the order of several hundred million coins.
§ Mr. TomlinsonIs the Minister aware that the banks are not likely to be aware of the necessity for these small coins, and that the lack of them means that all prices will be increased to poor people by more than a farthing because of the lack of farthings?
§ Captain CrookshankI have just said that the banks will be able to gauge the requirements of their customers. That has always been the case in the past and the fact that hundreds of millions of these coins are in circulation proves that.
§ Mr. McGovernThey are all in Scotland.