§ 39. Mr Stourtonasked the President of the Board of Trade, if his attention has been drawn to the hardship imposed upon the general public through clothes rationing and the consumption of reserves of wearing apparel over a spell of 3½ years; and whether some concessions can be made in the next rationing period.
§ 83. Mr. Hubert Beaumontasked the President of the Board of Trade, whether he is yet in a position to state what the clothing ration will be after 1st February.
§ The President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Dalton)As from 1st February next a further 24 clothing coupons will be available. But in view of the heavy and increasing demands by the Supply Departments for labour and materials, and the need to provide, in advance, clothing for those to be demobilised from the Forces, I cannot at present say how long the next rationing period will last. This must depend on the course of the war and, although I hope to be able to make a further issue of coupons to the general public on 1st August, this may not prove possible until the 1st September. But I shall, in any case, arrange that a further issue is made on 1st August for the children. All the clothing coupons in the 1942–43 and 1943–44 books remain valid.
§ Mr. StourtonWhile thanking the Minister for his sympathetic reply, may I ask him whether he will bear in mind the urgent need for more children's clothing and children's and adults' footwear?
§ Mr. DaltonYes, Sir, I am very well aware of that, and I am giving constant attention to it, subject to the difficulties which I know my hon. and gallant Friend appreciates very well.
§ Mr. BeaumontWhile thanking the Minister for his reply, and also for promising a further issue of children's coupons on 1st August, which will be especially welcome, may I ask him whether he will keep in mind the urgent need for the 23 manufacture of additional cloth to meet the certificates already issued, and for an increase in the making up of clothes particularly for children and women?
§ Mr. DaltonYes, Sir, I am very conscious of that and I am in touch with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour about it. Both cotton and woollen yarn are very much in mind at the present time.
Mrs. AdamsonIn order to ease the problem of mothers of coping with the needs of their children will my right hon. Friend reduce the coupon value for necessities for children?
§ Mr. DaltonThe difficulty about that is that it is equivalent to issuing more
| I. Functions of Regional Offices:— |
| In addition to the war-time function of finding and allocating factory and storage space for war purposes, the work of the Regional Offices will fall into four main divisions, namely— |
| (1) Reconversion generally, and particularly of the engineering industry, to peace-time production. |
| (2) De-requisitioning of factory and storage space and allocation of surplus Government factories. |
| (3) Distribution of industry functions outlined in Chapter 3 of the White Paper on Employment Policy, together with surveys, statistics and information generally. |
| (4) De-concentration of civilian industries, release of raw materials and labour (as soon as war needs permit) for civilian production and employment, and general assistance with advice and help where required. |
| II. Board of Trade Regional Controllers | ||||||
| Name. | Region. | Salary. | ||||
| S. A. Sadler Forster | … | … | … | Northern (Newcastle) | … | £1,300 |
| G. E. Naylor | … | … | … | North Eastern (Leeds) | … | Unpaid |
| J. Piggott | … | … | … | North Midland (Nottingham) | … | £1,300 |
| R. W. Burkitt | … | … | … | Eastern (Cambridge) | … | £1,300 |
| S. J. Graham | … | … | … | London | … | £1,300 |
| H. W. Weathersbee | … | … | … | Southern (Reading) | … | Unpaid |
| B. W. T. Kay | … | … | … | South Western (Bristol) | … | £1,300 |
| E. Brunning | … | … | … | Wales (Cardiff) | … | Unpaid |
| A. Heckle | … | … | … | Midland (Birmingham) | … | £1,300 |
| H. N. Grundy | … | … | … | North Western (Manchester) | … | £1,450 |
| R. A. Maclean | … | … | … | Scotland (Glasgow) | … | Unpaid |
| G. H. E. Parr* | … | … | … | Northern Ireland | … | * |
| * Permanent Secretary to the Northern Ireland Ministry of Commerce, who also acts part-time as Regional Controller of Factory & Storage Premises and Board of Trade Regional Representative | ||||||
| All these Officers were selected in the light of their previous experience, and particularly in connection with industrial matters. |
| III. North Midland Regional Office |
| The number of persons employed at this Office (which covers Leicester) will be 40. The estimated annual cost of this office is £16,735. |