HC Deb 02 November 1939 vol 352 c2136W
Mr. White

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster why it is necessary to control tea?

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

Tea is an irreplaceable item in the diet of all classes of the community, and the demand for it is accentuated by war-time conditions. Adequate supplies at reasonable prices are essential, and supplies are, therefore, being maintained by direct Government contracts with the producing estates in India, Ceylon and East Africa. The scheme of control is directed to allotting to traders supplies in proportion to the quantities they handled in a pre-war period.

Forward to