§ 28. Mr. Hannahasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware of the suffering among many of the working classes through the fact that richer people are getting much of the available supplies of eggs, sausages and cooked meat; and will he consider the advisability of so rationing these commodities as to ensure a fair distribution to all?
Major Lloyd GeorgeThe extension of rationing to commodities at present unrationed is under review, but as I informed my hon. Friend the Member for the Combined English Universities (Miss Rathbone) on 30th April, it is undesirable to give advance information on matters of this kind.
§ Mr. HannahAre the Government aware that munitions and coal workers and others in the Midlands are suffering badly through not having adequate and suitable food, and that this is a very pressing problem?
Major Lloyd GeorgeMunitions workers should have canteens in their works, and I would remind my hon. Friend that if they have these canteens, they are, in 1532 fact, receiving supplementary rations. As my hon. Friend knows, underground mine workers are receiving an extra ration of cheese.
§ Mr. James GriffithsIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware of the growing concern at the increase in the size of queues in all the provincial towns? Will he take every step possible to end this queueing, which is very serious?
Major Lloyd GeorgeI agree with the hon. Gentleman. I do not like this queueing at all, but I would remind him that it is not always due to a shortage of food. There have been queues in which the people in them did not know what they were queueing for, such as one lady who found she was queueing for bird seed, although she had no bird.
§ Mr. Rhys DaviesIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware that some of these queues are formed because the men who used to be behind the counters of the shops have been taken into the Army?
§ Mrs. HardieAs meat has been allocated for manufacturing purposes, could the Parliamentary Secretary see that some proportion is put into sausages?