§ Mr. R. McNEILLasked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the Navy and Army Canteen Board have recently opened a depot in Canterbury from which the families of temporary officers as well as the officers themselves obtain general groceries; whether these depts are authorised to compete in this manner with local tradesmen; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONIn certain instances, for the sake of convenience, and with a view to exercising a more efficient supervision over the issue of foodstuffs that are controlled or in restricted supply, separate establishments have been opened —as at Canterbury—to deal with a branch of the trade which has hitherto been conducted in the ordinary canteens and 2401W messing stores. This trade—namely, the supply of groceries to officers' and soldiers' families not in receipt of separation allowance, has always been part of the ordinary recognised work of the canteen. Permission to deal at canteens or at establishments of the kind in question is very carefully safeguarded, and the conditions under which the trade is carried on, while necessarily limiting the supply of rationed articles in accordance with the Food Controller's Regulations, also places a per capita limitation on other foodstuffs sold.