§ Sir G. Mitchesonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been drawn to the situation of the shopkeepers and smaller manufacturers in the Metropolitan area; and what steps are being taken to use their facilities by the various contracting Departments of State?
§ Captain CrookshankI am aware that one of the effects of the war has unfortunately been to prejudice the position of many shopkeepers and small manufacturers, both in London and elsewhere, and that in evacuation areas in particular shopkeepers have suffered through the reduction in the resident population. Many small firms are already employed directly or as sub-contractors on the manufacture of war stores, and every effort is being made by the Ministry of Supply to utilise their resources more fully in so far as they are or can efficiently be made suitable for war production.