§ LORD BALFOUR OF BURLEIGH rose to ask the Food Controller whether he is now in a position to make any definite statement as to the possible allowance of sugar to those who desire to use it for private making of jam or other preserves; and whether it would not be in the public interest to give some further information as to the disposition of the supply of sugar among the various trades concerned in its use.
§ The noble Lord said: Your Lordships will recollect that some six or seven weeks ago I raised this question and received a more or less sympathetic answer from the noble Lord the Food Controller. At that time he said that while he was in sympathy with the object which I had in view he could not then give a definite pronouncement, but he hoped that at a later day he might be able to make a fuller statement and give further information relating to the stocks of sugar and the position generally than he felt able to do in January. I venture to hope that we may now have some more information than it was possible to give us at that time. I cannot help thinking that it would be to the general interest and public satisfaction if further information were given with regard to the supplies of sugar available, and the destinations for which it is at present allocated. 561 I have endeavoured to follow the public announcements made partly on the authority of Sir Charles Bathurst, Chairman of the Sugar Commission, and partly from other sources, and so far as I understand the matter those who are supplied with sugar under rations are the civil population, and I suppose in addition to the population of these islands there are supplies for the Army and Navy, and that in addition to private supplies there are probably supplies for the various trades concerned, such for instance as the confectionery trade, the biscuit-making trade, the mineral water trade, and those who make jam for sale. For the moment I leave out of account any question of sugar for brewing, because if I am correctly informed—and I have taken considerable trouble to get my information—the sugar used in brewing is of less good quality and does not seriously at any rate impinge upon the supply required for other purposes.
§ I do not know how much is required for public rationing. If one could know the exact population that is supplied by rations and calculate at ½ lb. per head per week one would be able to find out by a not very intricate sum of arithmetic the number of tons used in a year. If I understand it rightly it comes to some 18,000 or 20,000 tons a week, but that is only a matter of conjecture. I have also seen it stated on authority that the amount given for private jam-making last year did not amount to more than 10,000 tons—that is, not much more than half a week's supply. There, again, I am speaking only from hearsay, and from such information as I have been able to get. But if that is so, surely it would be possible this year, without seriously interfering with other supplies, to give the same sort of rations as was given last year for the private making of jam. I do think it would be fair—and it would really tend to settle public opinion, and help the Food Controller in his work—if we were told whether those trades which I have mentioned were really rationed in the same way as the private consumer, whether they were under the same control and only got a definite amount.
§ I have only one word more to say. I agree that there are three interests involved in the proposal with regard to sugar for jam-making. There is the general trade of jam-makers who make jam for sale; 562 there are the private persons who have been in the habit of purchasing fruit for jam-making for private consumption; and also the people—for whom I feel inclined especially to speak—who are private growers of fruit and only want sugar in order to make their own join. I believe the last class is that which it is most important to have supplied, but I do sympathise with those who have been in the habit of purchasing fruit for the purpose of making jam, and I am not jealous of their getting a proper amount provided it can be done. I see, however, much greater difficulty in establishing the fact that a person is going to make jam with the fruit that he buys than in establishing the fact that a person has a garden from which he is going to take the fruit to make the jam. I do not, attempt to draw comparisons between these classes or to go further than say that I am quite aware there are three interests involved, and to express the earnest hope, on behalf of these people, mostly of very humble class, who grow fruit in their own gardens, that they will be allowed a certain supply of sugar in order to make the fruit into jam. It will be a serious public loss if they are not. Having regard to the nature of the fruit, soft fruit in most cases, which ripens during several weeks in the year, I do not think it is in any way possible to have a satisfactory method of collecting the fruit at a central place to make it into jam. That is the strength of my plea, and it will be a real grievance if something cannot be done on time lines have suggested.
§ THE FOOD CONTROLLER (LORD RHONDDA)My Lords, I have to thank the noble Lord for giving me this opportunity of making a further statement and giving fuller information than I could give in January. I also thank him for letting me know beforehand the particular points which he intended to raise. As far as can be seen at present it will be possible to allocate this year about 10,000 tons (possibly more) of sugar to the private fruit grower for making jam. We hope that this can be done without reducing the supply to manufacturers. In view of the shortage of butter and the demands of the Navy and Army it is essential to maintain the output of the manufacturers who supply the bulk of the urban and industrial population with jam. The allocation of the sugar to private fruit growers will be made by the Local Food Control Committees in co- 563 operation with the War Agricultural Executive Committees. Permits will be granted by the Food Control Committees. The issue of sugar will be at a rate of not more than 10 lbs. per head for every member of the household who is receiving rations of other foodstuffs; but larger allocations may be made where the Committee consider this desirable. In any case where an extra allotment of sugar is made, it will be required that the jam made from the extra sugar is placed at the disposal of the Committee at current prices for sale on the market for consumption by the general public. Applicants for sugar will be required to give an undertaking that the sugar will not be used for any other purpose. They will be credited with 1¾ lbs. of jam for every lb. of sugar supplied and will be expected to reduce their purchases of jam to this extent.
The second part of the Question relates to the distribution of the sugar among the various trades. I am afraid I am not at liberty to give publicly the actual figures, but I will state the general lines of distribution. The domestic ration accounts for a little more than half—or 52 per cent.—of the total issue of sugar; 8½ per cent. of the total issue goes to the Navy and Army; ½ per cent. to the Navy and Army Canteen Board; 22 per cent. to the manufacture of jam; 3¾ per cent. to the manufacture of confectionery; 2½ per cent. to caterers and institutions; 1½ per cent. to bakers and cake makers; ½ per cent. to the manufacture the mineral waters; and 2½ per cent. to the manufacture of condensed milk. The balance goes to minor purposes and contingencies. The sugar-using manufacturers of all classes are strictly rationed on the basis of 25 per cent. of the sugar used by them in 1915 with the exception of the manufacturers of jam and condensed milk, to whom special issues have been made in order to secure as far as possible the necessary supplies of these two important articles of food. The supply to brewers of sugar suitable for domestic consumption has entirely ceased.
I should like to say here that under the system of rationing which came into operation on January 1 an immense improvement in distribution has been secured and complaints are rare. Further, the information before me indicates that up to the present the new system has brought about a substantial reduction in the quantity of sugar used fur domestic con- 564 sumption. At this time last year stocks of sugar in the country had fallen to a very low figure. I am happy to say that the present stock is much more satisfactory—I do not feel at liberty to give the actual quantity—but that does not mean that we can afford to be more generous in our distribution. We have to be careful and conservative in this matter. It is imperative in view of the shipping situation to maintain a certain stock in hand. There are no mysteries in my Department, and if the noble Lord or any other member of the House should desire to know the actual figures of the sugar supply, my friend Sir Charles Bathurst will be happy to give him, in confidence, the fullest possible information on the subject.