§ 61. Major Youngerasked the Minister of Food upon what grounds imports of boxed white fish are to be excluded from his Ministry's normal system of compulsory primary allocation at the ports; and how it is proposed to ensure fair distribution as between different ports and different centres of population.
§ Sir B. SmithShipping facilities make it necessary for the bulk of this boxed fish which is to be shipped from Denmark and Norway to be discharged at Harwich and Newcastle; it would be impracticable and wasteful of inland transport to bring it to all the fishing ports for primary allocation. I have, therefore, permitted direct consignment to the more important inland markets. Merchants at certain East Coast ports, preferably through their associations, are, however, free to make arrangements to import boxed fish, and I trust that the supplies will be fairly shared either by allocation or other methods. Individual merchants, coastal or inland, are required to distribute boxed fish to their customers under the normal procedure of the white fish distribution scheme.
I have asked the Danish and Norwegian authorities to see that consignments are fairly distributed to the various ports and markets authorised to receive them, but, even if, owing to greater initiative at a particular place, a somewhat larger share may be obtained, the permitted maximum is all too small in comparison with present landings to cause serious maldistribution.