11 and 12. Lieut.-Commander Clark Hutchisonasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if the recent allocation of 25,00o mattresses to hotels and boarding houses for rehabilitation purposes is to be made from stocks that would otherwise be available for the holders of priority dockets who are at present unable to obtain mattresses, or from what other sources;
(2) whether he is aware that there is a shortage of flock mattresses in the Edinburgh area; that while many people holding priority dockets can be supplied with bed-ends and springs, they are unable to obtain mattresses; and what steps he proposes to take to overcome this shortage.
§ Sir S. CrippsI am not aware of any special difficulty in supplies of mattresses for Edinburgh, but, if the hon. and gallant Member has any particular case in mind, perhaps he will give me details. To meet present and accumulated demand, civilian production, which is already nearly equal to the prewar level and well ahead of bedstead production, is being increased as rapidly as ticking supplies permit. The recent allocation to certain hotels, boarding houses and holiday camps, which represents about 1 per cent. of present production, was made from current manufacture.