§ Mr. Chetwyndasked the President of the Board of Trade what is the present annual production rate of utility goods, as compared with 1950; and what is the production rate of utility goods as a percentage of the total supplies for home civilian consumption.
§ Mr. Rhodes:The information asked for is given in the table below for the principal types of utility goods; the annual rates of production in 1951 are based in each case on the most recent period for which figures are available.
155W
Unit Period 1951 1950 Utility Production (annual rate) Column (4) as a percentage of total supplies for home civilian consumption Utility Production during the year Column (6) as a percentage of total supplies for home civilian consumption (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Utility furniture: Principal items— Wardrobes Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 943 (g) 783 (g) Dressing chests, dressing tables and tallboys Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 1,090 940 Bedsteads (metal and wood) Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 1,245 1,177 Chairs (dining and kitchen) Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 3,184 2,890 Sideboards Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 448 387 Dining tables Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 634 592 Kitchen cabinets Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 318 246 Kitchen tables Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 90 91 Nursery furniture Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 422 399 Three-piece suites: Easy chairs Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 1,442 1,134 Settees Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 609 487 Fireside and easy chairs Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 1,522 1,449 Bedchairs, bed-settees and divans Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 527 450 Woven fibre and cane, etc. chairs and settees Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 299 280 Bookcases and sets of shelves Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 238 209 Occasional bedside tables and cabinets Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 1,054 912 Wooden stools Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 250 239 Bureaux Production in th. articles. Jan.-Mar. 138 132 (a) The figures for January-March, 1951, are provisional. (b) Deliveries for transport organisations, hospitals and other institutions, which are all non-utility, are excluded. (c) The percentage figure given is an estimate of the percentage of utility deliveries to total supplies of apparel cloth for home consumption, including cloth for Government use and cloth for making up into garments for export. (d) Imports are included in the totals from which the percentages are calculated. (e) Includes outerwear, underwear, socks, stockings, and garments made up from knitted fabric in the hosiery industry. (f) Supplies for Government use, reckoned as non-utility, are included in the totals from which the percentages are calculated. (g) No precise information is available. Estimates indicate that utility furniture accounted for over 90 per cent. by value of total furniture production in the year 1950 and the first quarter of 1951.