§ 36. Mr. Nabarroasked the Minister of Food the outcome of his recent discussions with the National Farmers' Union upon special emergency measures to deal with the plum and damson crops anticipated to be the largest in living memory, with special reference to utilising the surplus from Worcestershire.
§ 39. Mr. Hamiltonasked the Minister of Food what special steps he is taking to ensure that none of the heavy plum crop is wasted.
Dr. HillAs hon. Members already know, an additional domestic sugar bonus of 1 lb. per head is being given in August so that housewives can take advantage of this year's plum crop for jam making. The sugar and tinplate available to jam manufacturers and canners this year are enough to ensure that their purchases are not restricted.
My right hon. and gallant Friend has decided to remove price control over prunes in order to encourage experiments with the drying of plums, and it is hoped that this will provide a new and useful outlet. Other steps include publicity on methods of pruning and a request to the Services Departments to take full advantage of this year's phenomenal crop.
§ Mr. NabarroWhile thanking my hon. Friend for the strenuous efforts he is making to deal with the very satisfactory Worcester plum crop, may I ask if he will give the House some information about the extent of the additional allocation of sugar to the manufacturers, particularly to the canners?
Dr. HillThe sugar for plum canning is being increased by 20 per cent. to an amount which the canners have stated to be enough for the plums that they can dispose of this year.
§ Mr. HamiltonIs the Minister aware that the sugar allocation to the housewives barely touches the fringe of the problem, and will he give an assurance that, in view of the fact that the housewives cannot take up all the plum crop, the Armed Forces will not be bogged down in plum jam?
Dr. HillI can sympathise with the views that many soldiers will have about plum jam. At the same time, I would issue a general appeal for the use in all 1086 possible forms and by all persons of this year's phenomenal plum crop.
§ Mr. RentonWhile not wishing to devalue the quality of the plums in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Kidderminster (Mr. Nabarro), may I ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether he is aware that the finest Victoria plums in the world, most suitable for canning, are grown in East Huntingdonshire and West Cambridgeshire? Will a fair proportion of those plums be canned in accordance with the arrangements which are now being made?
§ Mrs. MannIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the extra 1 lb. of sugar which is given to us for jam making because of the plum crop still leaves the housewife 3 lb. short of what she had last year? She is short of cheese, short of eggs, short of sugar—short of everything but Government incompetence. Is it not time that the Government got out?
§ 37. Mr. Nabarroasked the Minister of Food whether he has now received the report from the Ditton Laboratory of the Food Investigation Section of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research at East Mailing, Kent, upon the drying of plums for sale as prunes; whether he will publish the report; and what the prospects are of establishing an indigenous prunes industry based on Worcestershire plums.
Dr. HillThe Stationery Office hope to publish a report by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research on the drying of English fruit on 2nd August. An article summarising the main points of the chapter on plums has already appeared in the technical Press. It would be premature at this stage to express an opinion on longer term prospects.
§ Mr. NabarroDoes my hon. Friend realise that the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has now succeeded in producing a British prune, which, although not as black, as sweet, or as wrinkled as the Californian prune, is, nevertheless, one which possesses all the qualities inherent in a prune? Will he take steps before next year to sponsor the creation of a prune manufacturing industry in this country based primarily on Worcestershire plums?
§ Mr. LindgrenGive him a raspberry.
Dr. HillSteps to encourage pruning this year have already been taken, and I note my hon. Friend's public tribute to the power of the prune.
§ Mr. SnowIn this forthcoming publication will special attention be paid to the domestic producer of this particular form of fruit, because there are many surplus crops of small volume which may be used for the domestic production of prunes?
Dr. HillI am glad that the hon. Member has put that supplementary, for in this report and in the summarised version of it the necessary details will be given to enable the housewives to engage in the pruning of plums at home.