§ Colonel Baldwin-Webbasked the Minister of Supply whether his Department, either alone or in co-operation with any other Department, has hitherto conducted a census of industrial production with the object of ascertaining whether the fullest possible use is made of all factories capable of any form of contracting or sub-contracting assistance; and, if not, whether this can be at once undertaken to check both the cost of erecting new establishments, which will largely cease to be of value after the war, and of limiting the consumption of imported building material?
Colonel LleweliinDetailed surveys of manufacturing capacity likely to be of use to meet war requirements have been carried out over a period of years under the direction of the Supply Board. The fullest possible use has been made of the 1053W information thus obtained, together with any supplementary information brought to notice, in order to avoid setting up new factories for any work which can satisfactorily be undertaken by existing resources.