§ 61. Brigadier Mackesonasked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of knitting wool was sold to the public by retailers during the first quarters of 1938, 1945, 1946 and 1947.
§ Mr. BelcherThe deliveries of wool hand-knitting yarn, including mending 1145 yarn, for the home market were 3,059,000 lbs. in the first quarter of, 1947, as compared with 2,753,000 lbs. in 1945 and 2,948,000 lbs. in 1946. No similar information is available for any prewar year. These deliveries were, of course, primarily for the retail trade, but actual figures of sales to the public by retailers are not available.
§ Brigadier MackesonIn view of the anticipated cut in textiles, will the hon. Gentleman say whether it will be possible, where there is a very great shortage of knitting wool, to increase the allocation of knitting wool needed for young children?
§ Mr. BelcherHand-knitting yarn, like all other yarns, has been in short supply, and the position was not improved by the fuel shortage. As a result of the general recovery from the fuel shortage, I hope there will be an improvement here, as elsewhere.