7. Lieut.-Commander Clark Hutchisonasked the President of the Board of Trade why it is necessary for a representative of his Department to call once a month at the premises of retail furnishing firms to ascertain the number of mattresses held in stock.
§ Mr. H. WilsonBecause it is part of the duty of the Board of Trade to be aware of the state of supplies in retailers' hands of household necessities and particularly of textile goods. Experience has shown that this work is most efficiently carried out by personal calls on a selected number of retailers.
Lieut.-Commander HutchisonCould it not be done by correspondence? Is it necessary that somebody must go round every week?
§ Mr. WilsonI think it is much more to the convenience of the firms concerned that someone should call than that they should have to answer correspondence.
Mr. E. P. SmithIs it not desirable that these departmental snoopers should do something to justify their existence?
§ Mr. WilsonThese people are not snoopers. If it were not for the service that these people maintain it would be very much more difficult to answer Questions put down in this House on this subject.
§ Sir Waldron SmithersIs not this a further evidence of the Gestapo methods of the Department?
§ Mr. WilsonI get a number of Questions from hon. Gentlemen about the state of stocks in particular parts of the country, and it would be difficult to answer them without this service.