§ 44. Mr. Dodds-Parkerasked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to prevent a shortage of milk bottles arising because of the curtailment of deliveries of soda ash to the bottle manufacturers.
§ Sir S. CrippsI have asked the glass container manufacturers to concentrate so far as possible on the production of milk and other priority bottles, and I am glad to say that, despite the shortage of soda ash, the output of these bottles has so far been maintained at a fairly steady rate, although supply has not caught up with the increased demand. I hope that the manufacturers will be able to maintain this rate at the expense, if necessary, of the output of bottles of lesser importance, but I would like to stress, in addition, the urgent need for consumers to handle these bottles with care and return them as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Dodds-ParkerIs the President of the Board of Trade aware that unless some urgent action is taken to make more soda ash available soon, the supply of bottles will fall off fairly soon?
§ Sir S. CrippsI appreciate the difficulty about soda ash, and we have it well in mind.
§ Sir Frank SandersonWould it not be possible to provide that full milk bottles will only be exchanged for empty bottles?
§ Sir S. CrippsIt might be possible to make that provision, but it might also be very inconvenient.
§ Mr. C. S. TaylorIs it not a tact that certain of the large bottle manufacturers have had to close down because of the shortage of soda ash? And does the right hon. Gentleman realise that, unless these bottles are forthcoming, the milk retailers will have to go back to unhygienic methods of distributing milk without bottles?
§ Sir S. CrippsI am not aware of any such factories closing down; in fact, the average rate of production has gone up since the end of last year.
§ Mr. SpenceWould the right hon. and learned Gentleman bring the attention of the Minister of Food to the supply position of milk bottles, to see whether something could not be done to avoid the wastage that is going on?