§ 45. Mr. Dobbieasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether his attention has been called to the dangerous practice of queuing at shops in the streets for unrationed articles of food; and in view of the fact that those who have most leisure have a preference in obtaining unrationed food, whether he will consider the advisability of making rationing for all foodstuffs compulsory?
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food (Major Lloyd George)Queues are due to many causes and not solely to a competition to secure un-rationed foods. Changes in the habits of the people in war-time have tended in many districts to concentrate shopping within a more limited period while the shortage of staff owing to the diversion of shop assistants to the Fighting Forces or to other work of national importance tends to slow down service and also to contribute to queues. As I explained in the course of the Debate on 30th April, rationing is not a suitable method of dealing with the distribution of those foods of which individual consumption varies widely.
§ Mr. Ellis SmithMay I ask whether anyone has authority to investigate cases where there are queues, and if so, will the Ministry use that authority in order to prevent the formation of queues where it is not necessary?
Major Lloyd GeorgeWe have reports from all over the country on queries and the reasons why they form.
§ Mr. LoganIn order to avoid queues, would it be possible to circularise shopkeepers asking that during the dinner hour and at tea-time shops should be kept open instead of being closed, because that accounts for many queues in the streets?