12. Mr. De la Bèreasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the difficulties being encountered by the small shopkeepers throughout the country in obtaining their quotas of goods for sale, he will state the Government's proposals to assist in overcoming these difficulties.
§ Mr. DaltonAs my hon. Friend will recall, I introduced two years ago "Fair Shares" schemes for the clothing, pottery and hollow-ware trades and appointed Committees, on which the small shopkeepers are represented, to supervise the arrangements. I am glad to say that these schemes have worked very smoothly and that very few complaints have been reported. If, however, my hon. Friend will let me have particulars of any case where difficulty has arisen, I will look into it.
Mr. De la BèreCan my right hon. Friend tell us anything at all about the small firms of paint makers who have had such a very raw deal; and is he aware of the unprecedentedly disastrous result of this bungling?
§ Mr. DaltonNo, Sir.
§ Mr. Evelyn WalkdenIs the Minister aware that, in the main, small shopkeepers usually appear to have better stocks than the bigger stores; and is it not time to put an end to this nonsense that they are getting an unfair deal? They are serving the public in a very efficient manner, because of the equity with which the matter is being administered by the Board of Trade.
§ Mr. WalkdenThere is, in the shops.